Another metro Atlanta production company burglarized, nearly $100,000 worth of equipment stolen
ATLANTA - About $100,000 worth of production equipment was stolen in less than five minutes and surveillance cameras captured it all.
This theft is the latest in a string of similar attacks recently on production companies FOX 5 reported about in metro Atlanta.
The owners of The Plug ATL said they’ve been at the Phoenix Business Park for about a year and a half now and have never experienced any sort of crime. However, last week, the couple says a group of young men stole about 10 cameras, audio equipment, and lights.
"He woke me up and said, ‘Oh, god, baby they're robbing us,'" owner Charlene Legend explained.
Dressed in black clothing, face masks, and white sneakers, you can see as several burglars pry their way through The Plug ATL's front door.
This happened in the early morning hours on November 23.
"We're not a huge company. We can't afford a huge hit like this and this is absolutely devastating," Legend said.
These thieves were in and out in minutes with a carload of expensive equipment.
"They went directly for our camera equipment. We have a fully furnished state-of-the-art recording studio. They didn't touch it. We had laptops, pads, MacBook Pros all the across the building, they didn't touch it," she detailed.
Charlene and her husband Karlief opened the production company during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they help brands produce digital content.
"Considering how much we pour into the community, how much we do in terms of providing access and opportunity to people in underserved communities, this just really hit home," Charlene detailed.
MILLIONS IN EQUIPMENT STOLEN BY THIEVES TARGETING GEORGIA FILM INDUSTRY
FOX 5 News previously reported at least 35 similar break-ins at metro Atlanta media and production companies.
Investigators said thieves target high-dollar camera equipment, and losses so far just since this summer total more than $3 million.
"When you think of production, it is almost the low-hanging fruit from a criminality standpoint," owner Karlief Legend said. "Nobody is really looking out there and checking in to say 'hey we make sure these production houses can Function because nobody's really checking to make sure things are accounted for."
There's no word right now on whether the criminals in the legend's case are connected to the other string of thefts.
"When you have projects that are coming up tomorrow and the day after, the dilemma is what do you do in the meantime? It really just puts us at a standstill," Karfield said.
The Legend's said this is a major setback and will take them time to rebuild.
The couple is now raising money to help their small business recover from this situation.
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