Driver robbed of pro camera equiptment. Drone & DSLR for real estate photos

[flank]

Real estate photographer robbed of camera equipment while driving in San Francisco

A Bay Area real estate photographer had around $7,000 in camera equipment stolen from his vehicle during a brazen robbery while he was driving in San Francisco.

www.ktvu.com

SAN FRANCISCO - A Bay Area real estate photographer had around $7,000 in camera equipment stolen from his vehicle while he was driving Friday evening in San Francisco.

The victim, Ben, and his wife had just finished working at a property in San Francisco and were headed onto the Bay Bridge around 4:30 p.m. to capture the sunset behind the city from Treasure Island.

That's when a black Honda pulled alongside Ben and his wife. In seconds, an unidentified man smashes the back window of his vehicle, quickly grabbing a dark colored bag before jumping back into a Honda and getting away.

Inside the dark colored bag was a camera, drone, camera lens, video gear, camera flash and some other accessories. In total, Ben says the equipment is valued at about $7,000.

 

[SawMaster]

Looks like the plate will be readable- hope it's not stolen. First "smash and grab" robbery of an occupied car that I've heard about

Phil

 

[kamkar]

Smash and grab sure, but any other means of XX and grab i think are done.
If it was not for the risk of my cars windows, i would leave the box from my laptop on the back seat of my car when parked here at home, only to give me a chance of grabbing a person in a not pleasurable way.

If the car are not stolen or at least the plates, then there might be a chance with this dashcam near buy.

TBH the driver should have thrown it in reverse and just floored it, couldn't that be a justifiable reaction ?

 

[GTA Driver]

Although I saw it there, I can't find the same video in Reddit right now. I think comment there, although speculation, was that it was drugs or a big bag of cash because of drugs. Goes to show you - one has to take things they read from social media with grain of salt.

 

[kamkar]

I pretty much do not put things in the back of my car, or in the back seat, i tend to put things in the foot well in the passenger side.

 

[Dashmellow]

What fell out of, or was kicked out of the robber's car the first time he opened the door?

 

[kamkar]

It look like some foam padding, but i dont think so also seem to have a higher mass / land harder on the ground.

At the risk if giving people very bad ideas, if they had China level CCTV they could probably track on cameras that car from there and to where ever.

 

[Dashmellow]

It look like some foam padding, but i dont think so also seem to have a higher mass / land harder on the ground.

At the risk if giving people very bad ideas, if they had China level CCTV they could probably track on cameras that car from there and to where ever.

FWIW, it happens to be the size and shape of typical boxes that handguns are usually packaged in when new.

 

[kamkar]

I wouldn't know, though even brand spanking new or at least in box guns also find their way to the illicit Danish market which is all i know / knew off.
It is too thick and also too small to be a piece of the carpet from the car, though color for something like that are about that color.

Whatever crooks are often not the smartest people around, though some do surprise you now and then.

 

[Dashmellow]

It could be that the guy that did the smash and grab was so nervous that he didn't realize that he had kicked something out of the car. I can just hear the conversation now between the guy and the ringleader driving the car. "So WTF did you do with that brand new gun I left on the floor behind my seat?"

 

[DT MI]

I think comment there, although speculation, was that it was drugs or a big bag of cash...

Can't argue with that. Having been into serious amateur and 'semi-pro' photography for a long time the bag that was stolen does not look like anything I've ever seen for photo equipment - especially at a professional level. IMO there's more to the story than what's here.

 

[Dashmellow]

At the risk if giving people very bad ideas, if they had China level CCTV they could probably track on cameras that car from there and to where ever.

The video did capture a pretty clear shot of the license plate number. Even if the car was stolen there would be a decent chance the cops could nab them before they ditched it.

 

[Dashmellow]

Can't argue with that. Having been into serious amateur and 'semi-pro' photography for a long time the bag that was stolen does not look like anything I've ever seen for photo equipment - especially at a professional level. IMO there's more to the story than what's here.

Anything is possible but the victim and his wife, Ben and Marsha were interviewed multiple times on local TV and they didn't come across like drug dealers, they seemed like a regular couple. The driver of the Tesla with the dash cam who stopped to offer them the video was also interviewed.

As a professional photographer working in New York City doing architectural interior photography late at night shooting famous 5th Avenue stores and offices complexes in well known skyscrapers during off hours I had all my equipment disguised in bags and cases that didn't look like they contained thousands of dollars worth of camera and lighting equipment rather than the cases and camera bags I usually used. I wanted to make sure I made it home safely. Speculating about how these people may have transported their equipment is just that - speculating.

 

[GTA Driver]

Can't argue with that. Having been into serious amateur and 'semi-pro' photography for a long time the bag that was stolen does not look like anything I've ever seen for photo equipment - especially at a professional level. IMO there's more to the story than what's here.

And someone knew there was a bag in the back of car. I think a rival gang member was aware there was a package of interest is a more likely scenario than the a rival photographer or real estate agent.

edit:
having said that, the re-action of the victims - they don't seem like drug runners or smugglers. I think they would give chase or if it was if my watching of Hollywood movies served me correctly, there would be a gun fight.

 

[Dashmellow]

And someone knew there was a bag in the back of car. I think a rival gang member was aware there was a package of interest is a more likely scenario than the a rival photographer or real estate agent.

It could also be that they were observed loading valuable equipment into their vehicle after shooting a job.

 

[kamkar]

If they was Mules, it make no sense to make a fuss about it, in that case what was stolen will not be retrieved via conventional channels.
Camera equipment will sell fast on the black market, so will a drone, though here at least with dji drones, you might be able to do something as i think they are registered and linked to a account.

I am also inclined to think they have been observes doing their work, and loading their car after that,,,,, if only they had a dual channel camera i am sure that car would have been behind them for long.

 

[Dashmellow]

And someone knew there was a bag in the back of car. I think a rival gang member was aware there was a package of interest is a more likely scenario than the a rival photographer or real estate agent.

edit:
having said that, the re-action of the victims - they don't seem like drug runners or smugglers. I think they would give chase or if it was if my watching of Hollywood movies served me correctly, there would be a gun fight.

The guy, Ben Barghabany gave an interview to NBC News in SF and he just doesn't come across sounding like a drug dealer to me. Plus he agreed to a second interview.

 

[jokiin]

It could also be that they were observed loading valuable equipment into their vehicle after shooting a job.

logical explanation I would think

 

[DT MI]

...I had all my equipment disguised in bags and cases that didn't look like they contained thousands of dollars worth of camera and lighting equipment rather than the cases and camera bags I usually used...

Yeah, that occurred to me after posting. I've never shot in places where that would have been a concern for me. The most 'dangerous' locale I shot was the Thunderboat races near downtown Detroit and my gear never left my sight and was generally within an arms length.

It could also be that they were observed loading valuable equipment into their vehicle after shooting a job.

Possible as well. Hard to say with any certainty but in the short video it did appear to be targeted versus a 'crime of opportunity'.

 

[Dashmellow]

And someone knew there was a bag in the back of car. I think a rival gang member was aware there was a package of interest is a more likely scenario than the a rival photographer or real estate agent.

edit:
having said that, the re-action of the victims - they don't seem like drug runners or smugglers. I think they would give chase or if it was if my watching of Hollywood movies served me correctly, there would be a gun fight.

Another thing to consider, the victims hardly looked like "rival gang members" and as far as I know, gang members generally don't drive around in a Prius.