Editor’s note: Police previously said the incident happened in the Krog Street Market parking garage at 99 Krog St. The department later said it happened at 44 Krog St.
Moments after enjoying some food at a restaurant near downtown Atlanta, two men walked back to their SUV at the Ayla apartment building’s parking deck and saw the broken window. They quickly called police, but their hearts were racing knowing what was inside.
“It’s really, really important information in there,” the 911 caller told dispatchers in audio released by Atlanta police Tuesday. “Like, I work with someone who is, like, of a high status, and I really need my computer and everything.”
That person? Beyoncé.
Thieves allegedly broke into the vehicle last week and stole several items that belonged to the superstar, including unreleased music, footage plans for her tour shows, and past and future set lists, authorities said.
Atlanta police confirmed an arrest warrant was issued for a suspect following the incident on July 8, just two days before the Grammy Award-winning musician’s Cowboy Carter Tour kicked off in Atlanta. Authorities did not release the alleged thief’s name, but the person remains at large, police confirmed.
Beyoncé’s choreographer, Christopher Grant, and one of her dancers, Diandre Blue, said they parked a rented black Jeep Wagoneer in the parking deck at 44 Krog St. around 8 p.m. that day, according to an updated police report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They returned to the vehicle an hour later and saw the trunk window was damaged and two suitcases filled with their belongings had been taken, the report stated.
When officers arrived, Grant told them he was also carrying hard drives that contained “personal sensitive information for the musician Beyoncé,” according to police.
“The hard drives contained water-marked music, some unreleased music, footage plans for her show, and past and future set list,” an officer wrote in the report.
Other items listed in the report as stolen included laptops, clothes, Tom Ford sunglasses, a book bag and a pair of AirPods Max headphones.
The AJC reached out to a spokesperson for Beyoncé, her choreographer and her dancer but did not get a response.
Credit: Julian Dakdouk
Credit: Julian Dakdouk
Police said cameras managed to capture the theft at the entrance of the parking deck, and officers canvassed the area. Law enforcement then used the Find My app to search for the headphones that were pinging at an undisclosed location, where officers “conducted a suspicious person stop,” the report stated.
“After further investigation, a silver (redacted) which had also traveled into Zone 5 was moving at the same time as the tracking on the AirPods,” the report stated. “Larceny from automobile investigators were on scene and flagged the vehicle on the system.”
An officer dusted for prints and was able to “retrieve two very light prints,” though police haven’t confirmed if they were from the unidentified suspect who remains at large, the report said.
Police did not respond Tuesday morning when asked if Beyoncé was targeted or if it was a random theft.
It happened as thousands of excited fans prepared to descend upon Atlanta for four nights of the star’s tour at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The final show was Monday night.
It was the latest report of a theft from a vehicle in the city. Through July 5, Atlanta police had investigated 3,185 cases of theft from vehicles, according to department data. That’s down about 16% from this time last year.
But Zone 6, which includes Krog Street, Inman Park and Cabbagetown, has seen a roughly 9% increase in thefts from vehicles, according to department data. Police have investigated 759 cases so far this year in that area, up from 698 this time last year. The majority of this year’s cases — 1,073 investigations — were in Zone 5, which includes most of downtown, data shows.
Atlanta police advised residents about the department’s Clean Car Campaign, which asks people to remove valuables from their vehicles.
—Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this article.
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