Oklahoma City Police are investigating the theft of antique weapons from a local antique store, with surveillance footage showing a man they believe is responsible for taking off with the merchandise. The business near NW 23rd Street and May Avenue is now offering $1,000 to anyone who can help crack the case.
According to KFOR, the footage shows a man police believe stole antique weapons from the shop. The Oklahoma City Police Department reported the surveillance images as part of its investigation, and officers are now asking anyone with information to come forward.
Police are directing tipsters to OKC Crime Stoppers, which can be reached at 405-235-7300 or through an anonymous online submission. Per the department's general policy, Crime Stoppers of OKC will pay up to $1,000 for any tip that leads to charges filed or an arrest made in a felony case.
A Neighborhood With a History of Antique Theft Reports
This isn't the first time an Oklahoma City antique business has turned to surveillance cameras and public tips to chase down a thief. Back in 2014, News 9 reported that Oklahoma City police were searching for a man who took more than $50,000 worth of antiques from one business and an antique coin from another. An outside camera at Gold and Coin Exchange captured the suspect, while an inside camera captured the coin theft.
At the time, owners of the Apple Barrel Antique Mall told the station the thief made off with between $40,000 and $50,000 worth of merchandise, though they'd managed to recover roughly $3,000 of it. The station's report also detailed a separate incident at Oklahoma City's 23rd Street Antique Mall, where owners said their 1948 Ford panel truck was taken from the store's parking lot near NW 23rd Street and N May Avenue, prompting a request for anyone who spotted it to call 911 immediately.
Whether that earlier case or the vintage truck report has any connection to the current theft isn't established in the available reporting. What is clear is that antique dealers in the area have repeatedly leaned on surveillance footage and public tip lines when merchandise disappears, and this latest case is following that same playbook.
What Comes Next
For now, investigators are relying on the public to help identify the man seen in the footage. Anyone with information about the stolen antique weapons is urged to contact OKC Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300 or to submit a tip anonymously online, with the shop's $1,000 offer adding extra incentive for a lead that moves the case forward.
