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Deer head stolen from Tempe pizza restaurant
Tempe police are investigating after a man took a deer head from Night Owl Pizza & Drinks. FOX 10's Justin Lum reports.
TEMPE, Ariz. - A man stole a deer's head from the wall inside a pizza place in Tempe, and it was all caught on camera.
What we know:
Surveillance video from Monday, September 21 shows a man making off with the deer head from Night Owl Pizza & Drinks Tempe. The man later rode away from the business on Mill Avenue at Alameda Drive on a bike.
"He came in, had a few beers, and after he closed out his tab, he waited for a shift change and for the host to go back and grab somebody’s to-go food, and he made out with our mule deer head that was in our bathroom hallway," said Logan Purser, an operating partner at Night Owl.
What they're saying:
"We got the whole thing on the cameras. You could tell that he’d been here before. He knew what he was doing when he was waiting for that shift change. He moved his electric bike from the front patio through the patio to the back and staged it on our little emergency exit in the backyard area there and then when he grabbed the deer head he went out through the emergency exit once somebody’s head was turned and just causally loaded that thing up on the basket of his electric bike and almost lost a Birkenstock on the way and then just scooted off," Purser said.
What we don't know:
The suspect's identity remains unknown at this time.
Dig deeper:
Since the theft, the restaurant posted images of the suspected thief on social media, hoping anyone with information will come forward.
"Any information that could help or if they know him, just speak to him personally and let him know I mean no questions asked. If it just showed up on our patio we’d be super happy about it and I would take down the memorial we put up with his pictures," Purder said.
The business has filed a report with the Tempe Police Department. Meanwhile, they still want the deer head back, and they are offering a reward.
"We really just want it back. That’s all. That’s the most important to us. It does hold sentimental value. One of our partners, that deer head was in his grandfather’s cabin, so I mean, it’s this thing’s super-old, and he was real happy to have a space where people could appreciate and yeah, we just want it back," Purder said.
What you can do:
The establishment is giving a $250 gift card and Night Owl merch to whoever helps catch the guy.
"We’re going to kick out a pretty big gift card to somebody. Essentially, free pizza for a year, a bunch of swag, some T-shirts, stickers and then so much love from the staff. You’d be a hero if you were able to help us get this back," Purser said.
Anyone with information with tips can contact Night Owl at (480) 681-7781 or the Tempe Police non-emergency number at (480) 350-8311.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Logan Purser, an operating partner at Night Owl Pizza & Drinks Tempe; surveillance video and social media posts from Night Owl Pizza & Drinks Tempe; and the Tempe Police Department.