Pontiac cafe canopy tent theft has police searching for suspect
Search for suspect who stole gallery canopy tent in Pontiac
The owner of a brand-new art gallery is hoping sheriff's deputies can get to the bottom of a theft. A man dismantled a large tent, packed it away, and walked off as if it was his all along.
PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - A new business in downtown Pontiac did not get a warm welcome as someone walked off with a large canopy tent used to cover a private outdoor space, all while the owner was inside his building.
The backstory:
The owner of a brand-new art gallery is hoping sheriff's deputies can get to the bottom of a theft. A man dismantled a large tent, packed it away, and walked off as if it was his all along.
Inside the El Picasso Art Cafe on Saginaw Street in downtown Pontiac is an eclectic collection of works from all over the country. It's a passion project of Pontiac native Ivan Quinones II.
"I just hit the ground running, reaching out to local artists, putting shows together," he said. "So this gave me an avenue to do it all and have full creative control."
The owner has the full intention of utilizing the outdoor space as well, complete with a large tent canopy to provide cover from the weather.
"So when we do the live events with the music or the poetry, we had that area to do it in," said Quinones. "My mom asked, 'Hey, did you take the canopy down?' and I said no. I go outside, and it’s gone."
Dig deeper:
Meanwhile, someone else had other plans, as he learned on Sunday. The tent was gone in a matter of minutes while he was inside his venue.
The whole thing was caught on camera.
"I just so happened to be here on the computer and didn’t even know that was going down," he said. "Sat down and had a cigarette. There was a woman who walked past. He waited for her to leave, and then it was almost like, 'Let me get my tent down,' put it on his back, and walked off."
Quinones did file a police report for the $200 canopy but is able to keep things in perspective.
"It can be replaced. He didn’t tear anything up, but it was just in the middle of the day he walked off with a whole canopy," he said.
He says this is the second incident that’s happened to him since he opened on June 7.
"Just in the last couple of days, I came in to set the coffee up and seen that the planters outside were across the ground," he said.
Despite the incidents, the owner says the art gallery will remain open with plans for expansion, even offering art lessons in the future.
What you can do:
In the meantime, if you know the person responsible, reach out to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.