Thief steals copper pipes from business

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Police are searching for a man who caused $2,000 worth of damage to a business after stealing some copper pipes.

The theft occurred at about 4 a.m. Thursday at a catering business near Seventh Street and Northwest 27th Avenue. "The water started spraying and getting all over him; he got really wet to get these copper lines," said property owner Orin Black.

Though no one was physically watching the thief, surveillance cameras caught the entire act on tape. "He looked all around to see if anybody was watching him, and he was five feet from the video cameras, so it's kind of comical," said Black.

After ripping the pipes from the rear of the building, he headed to the roof for more copper pipes. Black said the thief stole about 100 feet of copper piping.

Police said this is the second time this week that someone has stolen copper from this building. The property owner said it's hurting the business. "They do some catering business, and they get there at 5 in the morning, and they serve 100 meals to needy families in Miami," said Black, "so they got there this morning, and there was water gushing out the walls."

Plumbers arrived to the business later that day and replaced the stolen pipes with plastic ones.

Meanwhile, the property owner suggests that the thefts are occurring due to the weak economy. "A lot of people are out of work, I guess, and it's probably happening a lot in the city," said Black.

If you have any information on these copper thefts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)