'It's the same kind of motive:' Thieves target video production companies in Austin, Hays County
BUDA, Texas (KXAN) – Clint Howell said one morning in late April, he realized his Buda video production company had been burglarized. The two people suspected of committing the crime were caught on a surveillance camera.
“[Suspects] tried to open a couple of doors with a crowbar and were able to succeed on one of them,” Howell said. “They then filled their white sedan with as much as they could, [loaded] the back seat of their trunk, and left.”
Howell told KXAN the equipment they stole was worth thousands of dollars. His team handed over the security footage and the stolen item’s serial numbers to the Buda Police Department, and the investigation is ongoing, Howell said.
Howell said he and his team have worked hard to get the business to where it is today.
“It really darkened the light that we have worked so hard to achieve, and you feel very exposed,” he said.
A string of incidents
Buda Police confirmed to KXAN that the two people in the video are suspects in the investigation. The department said it is aware of similar incidents throughout the Austin and Hays County area.
KXAN previously reported on thieves breaking into the Austin School of Film, where vintage cameras were stolen.
Howell said he knows several other video production businesses in Austin and Hays County that were burglarized in the last few months. He suspects the same person who stole equipment from his company may be responsible for other thefts.
“All this happened in the same timeframe, and it's the same kind of motive,” Howell said.
Howell said other local video production companies are disheartened by this sting of incidents. While they are competitors, many are monitoring online marketplaces to see if stolen items appear, he said.
“We all compete to an extent we compete… But we’re family,” he said. “This is our village. I felt like that we were plundered—that we were taken advantage of. It's hard to explain what that feels like.”