SPPD searching for art thief responsible for $21,000 theft
ST. PETE, Fla. - Police in St. Petersburg are asking for the community’s help to identify a man officers said stole a piece of art worth $21,000.
Cameras at the Duncan McClellan Gallery on Emerson Avenue South in St. Pete showed two men walking into the art gallery around 2:22 p.m. on Nov. 11.
What the cameras capture next is shocking.
READ: $21K piece of art stolen from St. Pete gallery, 1 arrested, 1 still at-large: SPPD
Detective Caitlyn Lance of the St. Petersburg Police Department’s Economic Crimes Division described how the two men pulled off the robbery.

The two men walking into the Duncan McClellan Gallery in St. Pete.
"He grabs the Torso XI sculpture, the glass sculpture, off of the shelf on the wall and actually tucks it down his pants and then conceals it with his T-shirt before walking out of the gallery," Lance said.
Lance said a Black male with a slender to medium build in an oversized blue T-shirt, baggy blue jeans, a baseball hat and sneakers took the glass sculpture worth $21,000.
"It's worth a lot more than that," Lance said, describing it as "a one-of-a-kind piece by a glass artist by the name of Latchezar Boyadjiev."
According to Lance, Boyadjiev "works out of the San Francisco area and makes a lot of cast glass sculptures."
The other man, Willie Wilson, is said to have distracted the sales associate while the robbery happened.

Mugshot of Willie Wilson (Courtesy: SPPD)
WATCH: Suspect steals $21K sculpture from St. Pete gallery
Lance described how the robbery unfolded in detail:
"He (Wilson) continues to interact with her, keeping her engaged, while the second suspect actually enters an inner portion of the gallery, which is slightly separated from the rest of the gallery," Lance said. "(He) waits until the other sales associate that was on the floor is distracted by another customer before he grabs the Torso XI sculpture, the glass sculpture off of the shelf on the wall, actually tucks it down his pants and then conceals it with his T-shirt before walking out of the gallery."
Police arrested Wilson last week, and he has been charged with principal to grand theft.
Officers are still looking for the other man and the piece of art.
"This isn't the type of thing that somebody steals in an attempt to resell it. It's not something that's easily sold," Lance said. "Anybody that knows the value is likely to know the piece was stolen. And so, it is something that you wonder if they took for personal enjoyment."
Lance thinks the burglars had other motives to carry out the robbery.
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"Maybe it's somebody that really does enjoy art, but at that point, if they enjoy art, you would think they'd want to respect the artist and the art community, especially here in St. Pete, where we're known for our artists," Lance said.
The art gallery owner, Duncan McClellan, said in a statement:
"We are deeply saddened by the recent incident, but we are fully cooperating with the authorities and taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of our collection. Our priority is the well-being of our employees and patrons, and we remain committed to providing a welcoming environment for all. The police have been diligent, and I’m confident that with the public help will be able to find the suspect."
Police say Wilson was also seen at another local gallery a few days after this incident. If you have any information about the second suspect, please contact them at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD + your tip to TIP411.
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