Anonymous cellphone video sent to the San Diego Police Department has led investigators one step closer to uncovering who is behind a break-in at the historic Starlight Bowl amphitheater in Balboa Park.
About a half-dozen people were captured on video and are believed to be suspects in the break-in at the theater adjacent to the San Diego Air and Space Museum on Oct. 19, SDPD said.
Police believe the suspects busted through the metal doors and spent hours sweeping the place.
Nearly $30,000 of dollars worth of equipment, including televisions and autographed guitars, was taken. Fencing around the building was also damaged.
The signatures took years to collect and they were meant for auction to advance the restoration of the Starlight Bowl, according to Steve Stopper President of Save Starlight.
“I can list what guitars were stolen; some were signed by the B-52s, Tom Petty, and Styx,” Stopper said.
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Two pieces of video obtained by SDPD provide clues into who may be responsible for the burglary, but investigators are asking for the public's help to identify the people seen in the video.
One video shows about 40 cars parked in the lot outside the theater for what appears to be an organized meet-up at about 10:45 p.m. SDPD said the motive behind the meet-up is unknown.
Then, people from the group were spotted tearing down chain-link fencing and forcing their way into the Starlight Bowl through the ticket office, SDPD said.
After the parking lot had cleared, a white Jeep Liberty pulled back into the lot, near a dark colored sedan with a luggage rack, and several people stepped out of the vehicle to change their clothes.
Cellphone video submitted by an anonymous tipster to SDPD got the clearest look at the alleged suspects. It showed several people standing outside a Ford Expedition telling others they had a television for sale, according to police.
SDPD is searching for all three vehicles and the suspects seen in the video. A $1,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the case.
Anyone with information was asked to call the San Diego Police Department at (619) 744-9533 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
The Starlight Bowl was under renovation after a eucalyptus tree collapsed on part of the building, damaging the ticket and concession building.
"This has been a multiple year effort that just went down the drain,” Stopper said the day after the break-in. "This is really a railroading moment. I don't know what to do. We’ll have to figure it out."
