Police are investigating the theft of a half million dollar movie camera taken from a crew member working on the movie "Dumb and Dumber To."
The heist happened in Chamblee on Saturday, Oct. 12, just two days before actors Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels filmed a scene at the Marietta Square.
The crew was supposed to film aerials from a helicopter rented at Peachtree DeKalb Airport, but the expensive camera was stolen out of the crew's SUV at an IHOP on Peachtree Industrial, according to Chamblee Police Sgt. Ernersto Ford.
"They go in and eat breakfast and someone breaks in while they are eating breakfast. It could be that. It was someone who didn't know what they actually had until he brought it out"
The camera is owned by a Miami company. It was flown in the night before the theft. The crew expected to spend the day prepping the camera for use on the chopper.
Channel 2's Diana Davis caught up with a helicopter employee who was with the crew the day of the heist. Peter Morris said it caused big filming delays.
"They had to make arrangements to get another camera out on an airplane in L.A. and have it flown all the way back," Morris said. "They were supposed to be done with the installation and testing by three o'clock in the afternoon. We didn't get done until 10 o'clock at night. It just created a big problem. They went out and did the shoot the next morning and then they came back and had to ship all the stuff back out."
Chamblee police did get some fingerprints from the SUV. Police don't believe the thieves knew what they were getting. They also stole a computer.
Police said because the camera is so rare, it would be tough to sell to a pawn shop. There are less than a dozen in existence.
"I don't think a person who is not in the industry would even know what it is," Ford said.
"The camera system comes in nearly a dozen cases. Only the camera itself was stolen, making it useless," Morris said.
"The camera itself won't work without the other parts and pieces. There's a control board and a power supply for the recording system. They didn't get all that," Morris said.
The owners are offering a $5,000 reward. The camera technician who was robbed told Channel 2's he's hopeful the camera will turn up
"We're hoping someone who saw something steps forward or even the person who took it makes arrangements for it to be returned somehow," said Leo Tamalgo.
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