Thief steals $9K cash from Anaheim fireworks stand benefiting youth figure skaters
Police were searching for a thief who stole more than $9,000 in cash from an Anaheim fireworks stand where proceeds from sales were going to a local youth figure-skating organization.
The theft occurred on the Fourth of July holiday at a stand on Harbor Boulevard and Broadway, authorities said. A man approached the booth, in the Carl’s Jr. parking lot, looking to buy something, said police Sgt. Steve Pena.
“He wanted to buy an item that was 90 cents and gave (the stand worker) a dollar,” Pena said. “As she put it in the cash box, he grabbed it out of her hand and ran off.”
Kellie Ewing, 51, of Huntington Beach, helps organize fundraisers for Matrix Synchronized Skating Teams, and was inside the fireworks stand when the theft occurred. She said she and the woman who struggled with the thief believe he had made a similar purchase at the booth at least once before.
The suspect was supposed to have been the last customer served before the pop-up shop closed on Saturday night, Ewing said. The heist happened at about 9 p.m., just as a barrage of fireworks lit up the sky above the parking lot and deafened anyone who might have responded to shouts for help from fundraisers.
“It was absolutely clockwork,” Ewing said. “He couldn’t have timed it any better. I must have looked like a lunatic out there; I was shouting.”
The thief ran into the passenger side of a pickup truck driven by another person, who sped off, Ewing said. It was described as an older model vehicle with a white paint job and tinted windows.
The getaway vehicle involved in the theft of over $9,000 from a fireworks stand in Anaheim on July Fourth is seen fleeing near the 500 block of Chestnut St. The money was meant to support the young athletes of Matrix Synchronized Skating Teams. @ocregister pic.twitter.com/SIpJADiIOx
— Eric Anthony Licas (@EricLicas) July 9, 2020
“(The victim) got into her car and tried to look for the guy but didn’t find him,” Pena said.
Inside the box was $9,011.28 that would was going toward benefiting those working the booth, as well as some additional cash from a raffle, Ewing said. All of that money was from a single night of hard-earned sales.
“This was our biggest fundraiser ever,” said Ewing, who at times worked from the time the fireworks stand opened at 10 a.m. until it closed for the evening at 9 p.m.
The shop had been open for seven days prior to the theft, Ewing said. Matrix Synchronized Skating Teams, which is affiliated with the Anaheim Amateur Figure Skating Association, had considered using the proceeds from Saturday night’s sales to create a new skating scholarship in honor of a former member, Ewing said. However, the organization still managed to generate thousands of dollars that will benefit young athletes.
Detectives have viewed surveillance footage from around the area but have not yet identified the culprit or vehicle. The suspect was described as an approximately 5-feet 5-inches tall man in his 20s or 30s weighing about 200 pounds. He had a medium complexion, according to the victim, and short, dark hair.
