Thief who stole comics worth $42,000 from a Denver store, including a $14,000 Avengers first edition, cut himself during the raid and tried to clean up the blood using toilet cleaner
- A man broke into Denver's Mile High Comics and stole 14 high-value comics
- Among them was the first Avengers, valued at $14,000
- Surveillance video captured the man breaking several glass cabinets
- He targeted specific comics and likely knew exactly what he was going for
- After cutting himself on the broken glass, the man tried to clean up the blood using toilet bowl cleaner
A thief stole some $42,000 worth of classic comics and other memorabilia from a Colorado comic book store, cannily attempting to sanitize the crime scene by cleaning up his blood before making off with his loot.
Denver police are seeking help identifying the man who was captured on surveillance camera at Mile High Comics Sunday at about 4.15am, smashing glass cabinets to grab 14 high-value items.
Among the rare books taken were the first Avengers and Iron Man comics, an original Superman fan club letter and a Spider-Man comic signed by writer Gerry Conway. The Avengers comic alone was valued between $12,000 to $14,000, store manager William Moulton told the Denver Channel.
A thief broke into Denver's Mile High Comics Sunday morning and stole $42,000 worth of rare comic books. He is seen here in surveillance footage, examining glass cases for his targets
The man can be seen breaking the glass cabinets and retrieving specific comics
After taking all the comics he came for, he used a cleaning product to wipe away blood he left behind after cutting himself on the broken glass
The surveillance shows a balaclava-clad thief carefully examining the shelves before breaking the glass and taking specific comics, putting them in a USPS mail bin and then browsing for more.
After taking what he came for, the thief goes off camera to retrieve what Moulton believed was either toilet bowl cleaner or window cleaner and paper towels to try to clean up blood he left after cutting his hand or arm while breaking the cabinet glass.
Among the rare comics stolen was the first Avengers comic which is valued at up to $14,000 (stock)
'From what the police told us he didn’t bandage the wound so he was bleeding while he was doing this,' Moulton said.
It appears the thief then picked up what were presumably bloodied pieces of glass and put them into the bin with the comics and then casually left the scene. The whole incident appears to have taken less than a handful of minutes.
Mile High Comics posted a notice on their Facebook page Sunday afternoon, apologizing for opening late because they 'had to keep the store closed until the crime scene guys finished collecting evidence.'
The store also revealed the list of comics that were stolen and asked patrons to alert them if they heard anything about the stolen goods — a wise move considering Denver Pop Culture Comic Con starts on May 31.
Images from the aftermath of the crime show piles of broken glass beneath the pillaged glass cabinets, as well as a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner. A spray bottle can also be seen sitting on an empty shelf.
Mile High Comics shared this image of the man they claim was responsible for the burglary
The store also shared a photo of the damaged cabinet and empty shelving spaces where the stolen comics used to reside
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'We’re just hoping we can get the books back in somewhat the same condition that they were in,' Moulton told 9 News. 'But if the books have blood all over them, that’s not a good thing.'
The thief appeared to have gained entrance to the store by bypassing its security systems. Moulton said that they would be upgrading the mammoth store's security systems immediately.
He also said that it 'Whoever did it knew what they were going for.'
Mile High Comics touts itself as being 'America's Largest & Friendliest Comics Retailer' with 10million comics at hand.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the Denver Police Department at (720) 913-2000.
