Thieves raid Minneapolis studio of artist Leon Hushcha: "I didn't know whether to laugh or cry"

Surveillance video shows thieves going into a Twin Cities building, then coming out with a cart full of art.

For six decades, Leon Hushcha has been making art that comes from the heart. The 80-year-old immigrated to the United States in 1949 from Ukraine. 

Since then he's been selling his art all over the country. But on Tuesday, he entered his studio in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis to find dozens of his original paintings and prints were gone. All told, Hushcha says the art was worth $80,000.

The investigation continues and there have been no arrests, Minneapolis police said on Wednesday.

"When I saw the emptiness, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I laughed because that protects me from reality," Hushcha said. "This is the first time I've ever seen in the Twin Cities an art heist. That is unheard of."

Around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, surveillance video shows an SUV pull up and two people enter the back door of Hushcha's loft with a dolly. About a half-hour later, the SUV is gone as the two leave with their loot.

Carly Novak, Hushcha's assistant, says how the thieves got in is still a mystery.

"I just don't understand. It just it doesn't make sense," Novak said.

It's still unknown whether the thieves had a key or broke in somehow. Novak says the criminals flipped around their lone surveillance camera before unplugging it.

The hope now is that more surveillance footage from neighbors will help crack this case.

"it's an invasion of privacy," Novak said. "All we could do yesterday was laugh about it, but now we're kind of faced with the reality, and it's kind of freaky."