$30,000 worth of instruments stolen from Carroll County music shop
More than $30,000 worth of instruments were stolen from a music shop in Carroll County, prompting a search for suspects, police said.
Sales tags were all that were left behind after the thieves targeted a shop in Sykesville.
"I've been in the music business for over 20 years, and I've never seen it this bad," said William Lee Hirschmann, owner of The Band Shoppe.
Musical instruments stolen
Hirschmann was working on the afternoon of Saturday, March 28, when he noticed a saxophone was missing.
"I started walking around the store looking for the saxophone, and then we noticed two trumpets missing, and then I took a step back and realized we were missing three trumpets, two clarinets, a saxophone, as well as a flute, a $10,000 flute specifically," Hirschmann said.
The stolen items totaled $30,000, and many of them were being sold on consignment.
Hirschmann believes the theft happened earlier that morning as he was working in the back of the shop.
When he checked the security cameras, he realized they had been tampered with.
"To know that they grabbed what they grabbed, knew how to navigate, were they already hiding in the store? That's another story. It's just unsettling. And now when I come here, I have another whole set of things I have to check," said Hirschmann.
Similar music store thefts
On Tuesday, WJZ learned that The Band Shoppe is just one of at least seven music stores across Maryland to be burglarized since January, all in a similar fashion.
In March, we reported on a similar incident in Harford County, where thieves took a $15,000 guitar from a shelf at Music Land in Bel Air.
Sykesville police believe there is a connection between all of the incidents. Officials said they have identified a suspect.
No arrests have been made.
In the meantime, Hirschmann shared a message for other music shop owners who have so far been spared: Be vigilant, keep an eye out for large groups that disperse throughout the store, and pay special attention to people who are wearing big bags or jackets.
"We've always been a store where you can just come play anything. Things are going to change, and the big-ticket items are going to be shelved or moved behind the counter or just not accessible to anybody but staff. I encourage you all to take the same steps," said Hirschmann.
Hirschmann is asking people to keep an eye out for his stolen instruments at pawn shops and online, and if they recognize any of them, to contact the Sykesville Police right away.
