POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Another Pompano Beach business owner says he’s had expensive fishing equipment stolen, as crooks continue targeting boats and businesses in the area.
Last month, Local 10 News told you about a boat captain who had nearly $25,000 worth of rods and reels snatched in Pompano Beach.
After we aired that story, some of the reels were recovered. But that captain isn’t the only business owner dealing with bandits.
Mike Lipski says he’s having the same problems.
He said his business, Reel Deel Bait & Tackle on South Federal Highway, has been targeted three times.
In a recent incident, he said a man wandered around the shop, spending about 30 minutes asking questions about reels and other equipment.
Then, he waited for other customers and made his move, targeting a Tabacom electric reel and kite rod worth roughly $1,200, a really big blow.
“He literally, he planned it out, he backed up to it,” Lipski said. “He grabbed it behind his body and then he literally turned the correct direction where he could turn with them and then just, literally, that quick, was out the door.”
Lipski said the crook “wasn’t the smartest.”
“He had ‘Miller’ tattooed down his arm, clear in the video,” he said.
Fishing gear can add up quickly and the sea snakes know it. What’s worse, Lipski said, there’s a market for those stolen goods and people buying them fuels the market.
Lipski says the South Florida boating community is very tight knit and he’s hoping others see videos of the crooks and get involved, track the trend and help these businesses stay afloat.
“I’m a single father,” he said. “(I’ve) Owned a couple businesses here in Pompano. I come to work every single day, you work hard.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Broward Sheriff’s Office.