Gresham stereo store owner seeks help after 'brazen' robbery caught on camera

GRESHAM Ore. (KPTV) – The owner of a Gresham car stereo store is asking for help after a man was seen grabbing an expensive product off the counter in front of employees and running away Saturday.

Blane Hartleb has owned Outrageous Audio on Southeast Stark Street for decades.

“What audacity,” Hartleb said. “We’ve been helping so many nice customers for 38 years, and to get slapped in the face like that is unbelievable.”

Last fall, Hartleb told FOX 12 that he was dealing with a spike in crime. He’s been stepping up security, which is why this latest robbery was so clearly captured on surveillance video.

Hartleb said he was working in the back of the store when employees in the front told him someone had run off with an amplifier.

“We looked at the cameras – this place is like a casino, we have 28 different cameras – a guy came in, stood there and just watched a customer who was being helped,” Hartleb said.

SEE ALSO:

A total of eleven people have been displaced after two separate fires broke out in a single day this week in the Portland area, both caused by lithium-ion batteries.

He said the customer was looking at a 5,000-watt amplifier that cost $1,100.

When the clerk at the counter turns his back, a man with a blue hoodie over his head is seen on camera grabbing the amp. He disappears off-screen and is later seen running away on an exterior camera.

“We’ve stopped almost every type of robbery. We have bars on the windows, a security system, everything is locked and we always have people out front,” Hartleb said. “But we’re busy and this guy was just waiting for his opportunity.”

Hartleb said Gresham police responded within minutes. Authorities told FOX 12 they are awaiting more information.

Meanwhile, Hartleb hopes that with the clear footage showing the suspect, someone will come forward.

“You just have to know that family businesses like ours work hard and then they get little slaps in the face like this, and it hurts – $1,100 is a lot of money that just disappeared,” Hartleb said.

Despite the theft, he says he has confidence in the community.

“I’m not going to let this affect our good customers,” Hartleb said. “We have so many good customers. One bad customer can’t bring us down.”

Anyone who recognizes the man or has information about the incident is asked to contact Gresham police.