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St. Pete police release video of $21K art gallery heist in hopes of capturing second suspect

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Published  January 10, 2025 5:57pm EST
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

Suspect steals $21K sculpture from St. Pete gallery

One man has been arrested and another is on the run after a $21K art gallery heist in St. Petersburg.

The Brief

    • St. Petersburg police are still searching for one of two suspects accused of stealing a $21K sculpture from an art gallery.
    • The heist happened in November 2024 at the Duncan McClellan Gallery in St. Petersburg.
    • Willie Wilson has been arrested in connection with the theft, but police are asking for help identifying the second suspect.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Police in St. Petersburg are asking for help identifying an art thief. 

On Friday, police released video of a man seen on surveillance video taking an art piece valued at $21,000 from an art gallery on Emerson Avenue South in November.

The backstory: According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, two men walked into the Duncan McClellan Gallery at 2342 Emerson Ave. S. around 2:22 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2024. 

While one man struck up a conversation with a sales associate to distract them, video shows the second man removing a cast glass sculpture titled "Torso XI" by glass sculptor Latchezar Boyadjiev from a display shelf and tucked it under his clothing.

St. Pete police released video of a man they say stole a $21K sculpture from an art gallery. Image is courtesy of the SPPD.

St. Pete police released video of a man they say stole a $21K sculpture from an art gallery. Image is courtesy of the SPPD. 

What we know: The two men then left the gallery together. Gallery employees later discovered the glass sculpture was missing.

Police recently arrested Willie Wilson in connection with the art theft. He was charged as a principal to grand theft greater than $20,000 but less than $100,000.

Courtesy: St. Pete Police Department.

However, investigators are still looking for the man who actually took the sculpture. He was last seen wearing an oversized blue T-shirt, baggy blue jeans, a baseball cap, and sneakers and carrying a dark-colored shoulder bag with a long strip around his neck.

What you can do: Anyone with information about the man wearing the oversized T-shirt is asked to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD + your tip to TIP411.

The Source: This story was written with information provided by the St. Petersburg Police Department. 

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