Tuesday, May 27, 2014 | 3:48 p.m.
It looked like a scene out of a heist movie.
At 2 a.m. on Memorial Day, a man and woman walked through the halls of V Theater inside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. The man carried a backpack filled with tools. The two proceeded to one of the dressing rooms and kicked down the door. Armed with a power grinder, they carved a two-foot diameter hole through the wall leading directly to the theater’s cashroom.
Two hours later, they broke into a safe and escaped with $4,000 in cash.
When the theater manager arrived later that morning, only an empty safe with a couple large holes remained. These were the details relayed to David Saxe, who owns David Saxe Production Company, disrupting his plans to spend the holiday at the Downtown Grand pool.
It wasn’t the worst theft that’s occurred for Saxe’s company, which produces "Vegas! The Show," as well as shows like "V - The Ultimate Variety Show" and "The Mentalist" at V Theater. But it continued a troubling trend of burglaries within the production company and its venues.
Saxe is convinced, just like previous thefts, Monday’s was an inside job. Armed with grainy surveillance footage of the theft, he’s out to catch the criminals and send a message.
“It’s obviously an inside job,” Saxe said. “They knew where everything was. Every employee thinks they can just break in and steal something, and never get caught.”
Saxe said his production company is a target for thefts because of its high-volume of employees and tours. Some of the crimes have been minor – tourists sneaking on stage and swiping props for memorabilia – but others have been more serious.
Someone once stole $68,000 from the box office, and Saxe said he’d lost at least $50,000 through multiple break-ins at his new, 40,000-square-foot production center inside the Miracle Mile Shops. Each time, Metro Police have failed to catch the criminal, even when Saxe has provided video footage, he says.
Officers with Metro’s property crimes unit are investigating Monday’s theft, Officer Larry Hadfield said, offering no other details.
Saxe is worried the unsolved thefts will send a message to employees that they can steal from him without getting caught.
While he doesn’t recognize the two burglars in the video, he wants to send a different message. He wants them caught.
“I’m just tired of police never caring about finding people, even if I hand it to them on a silver platter,” Saxe said. “I want them caught and prosecuted. ... And hopefully my employees who see this will stop.”
Anyone with information regarding the theft can call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555, or visit the Crime Stoppers website.
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