A man tried leaving an auction with a painting that later sold for $20,000, police said.

Derek Michael Begay tried to steal a painting from a Mesa auction Jan. 26. He said the painting was of his grandfather and belonged to his family,  KNXV reported.

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Begay, 33, was asked to leave the event several times. He grabbed the painting and ran toward the door but was caught by police, KNXV reported.

Begay was charged with theft and criminal trespassing, according to court records.

The painting later sold for $20,000.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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