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Topic: Interesting Theatre Hold-Up

Dennis Benjamin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1445
From: Denton, MD
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 08-23-2008 04:20 PM

This 'story' is out of Orange County, California. I wanted to pass it along as it is important operational information to have:

(This is a partial quote from a NATO advisory that went out from the NATO of CA/NV - National Association of Theatre Owners, California & Nevada)

quote:
This past Monday (18) at approximately 1:00PM an individual wearing a badge and a business card identifying himself as a local police officer entered an Orange County theatre. The imposter asked for the manager and told him that he was investigating a recent string of robberies in the area. The man handed the manager a phony card with the name of an actual patrol officer. Convinced, the manager invited the phony detective into his office to talk about the investigation. He opened the safe and allowed him to inspect the theater’s money for serial numbers to match them with stolen bills. The assailant also spent time on the phone with a person he said was his supervisor. The robber then pointed his gun at the manager and the assistant manager, tied them up, removed the hard drives from computers that operated video surveillance equipment and fled with the cash. The bandit was described as 6 feet tall and thin, escaped in a newer, white four door car.

We all need to take care of each other as these robbers get more creative. [Confused]

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Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 08-23-2008 07:03 PM

This manager is too stupid to be allowed to continue in the job.
A business card is not proper I.D. To be presented by a cop, all police have real identification with a photo etc., nobody records serial numbers of low denomination bills, a real cop would have a radio to call his office, or else use his own phone......

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Robert LaValley
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 104
From: Tampa, FL
Registered: May 2007

posted 08-23-2008 07:19 PM

Ironically, there are quite a few "managers" (that term used loosely mind you) that would fall for this, you do have to agree.

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Sam King
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 120
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Oct 2006

posted 08-23-2008 08:43 PM

We got this letter from NATO aswell, anyone know which theatre?

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Mark Lensenmayer
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1605
From: Upper Arlington, OH
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 08-23-2008 08:49 PM

Buena Park Mall was the robbery location.

Theater is Metroplex 18 at Buena Vista Downtown.

Theater is a Krikorian Premiere Theatre.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 08-23-2008 08:58 PM

What's even more stupid are the MORONS who put the video recorders in the manager's office!!!

Seriously, any recording device should be in the LAST possible place a thief would think to check. Under some risers, in a closet, behind a screen, above the ceiling tile grid in the booth, etc.

Edit - after checking back over the original post, it is possible the recorders weren't in the safe and I just assumed that was their location since I see so many 'tards out there installing them in the manager's office these days. If that wasn't the case, then shame on whoever let the manager know where the recording device was. All the managers need to know and tell the burglars is that "the cameras are uploaded in real time to an off-site server". At that point even if the manager is lying, he is safer because if the burglar believes he has been recorded and there is no possible way to get the tape/hard drive, he certainly will be in a hurry to get out of there and not make his situation worse by using the gun.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-23-2008 10:20 PM

Question??

Who did the guy call on the telephone?
It could have been a bogus call to "Time & Temperature" or it could have been to somebody else acting as a lookout somewhere else.

If the telephone company can retrieve the phone number that was called, at least they'll know.

I can't shake the sneakin' suspicion that this was an inside job.

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William T. Parr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 823
From: Cedar Park, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-24-2008 09:41 AM

Thieves are getting more bolder these days.

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Christopher Crouch
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 128
From: Holywood, ca, usa
Registered: May 2006

posted 08-25-2008 04:47 AM

I used to work for this company and was on the management team that opened this theatre (Buena Park Metroplex 18). Fortunately, we parted ways many years ago.

quote: Brad Miller
after checking back over the original post, it is possible the recorders weren't in the safe and I just assumed that was their location since I see so many 'tards out there installing them in the manager's office these days.

You were correct in your initial observation, they were "morons".

As for the manager involved, he definitely wasn't/isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. However, without going in to details, the bulk of the blame really falls on two other individuals. This was just a very public example of a stupidity that is rooted higher up; and by no means the only example.

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Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 08-25-2008 09:40 AM

In the couple of occasions that plain clothes officers have come to this theatre, the FIRST thing they presented was their police dept. photo I.D. They left business cards so we would have contact information to follow up with.

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 08-25-2008 08:21 PM

It IS easy for something like this to happen.

How many of us service guys experience this: you walk throughout a theatre you've never been to before, go right past the ticket-taker, in and out of auditoriums, up to the booth... without anyone stopping you or saying a word?

Granted, a lot of us have that "look" that we are supposed to be there, or that we're in-charge... but the theatre personnel don't really know that.

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Mark Hajducki
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 500
From: Edinburgh, UK
Registered: May 2003

posted 08-26-2008 06:04 PM

A lot of the multiplexes have such high staff turnover that it can be hard to know if somebody is a member of staff or not, so the door staff will often take it on trust.

--

The use of deposit only safes would have reduced the amount stolen in the case mentioned. (Only the cash in transit people have access to the contents of the safe, with a smaller safe for storing change/floats).

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System Notices
Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi

Posts: 215

Registered: Apr 2004

posted 04-01-2011 04:47 AM

It has been 947 days since the last post.

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Christopher Crouch
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 128
From: Holywood, ca, usa
Registered: May 2006

posted 04-01-2011 04:47 AM

Three years later and the robbery appears to have been solved. Back in February, Fernando Ruiz, age 38, was arrested on charges of "impersonating an officer, second degree robbery, and false imprisonment by violence or deceit" in relation to the 2008 theatre hold-up. Mr. Ruiz was apprehended after his DNA was matched through a sample that was submitted for an unrelated case. If convicted, he faces up to twenty years and four months in prison for the crimes. It has also now been released that his take was $15,000 in the robbery.

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Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 04-01-2011 02:42 PM

Damn, 15 grand could almost make one consider crime as a job. That's probably about $5,000 a minute. [Big Grin]

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