Customers ransacked Portland furniture warehouse after a ‘free’ sign was erected. Then the owner found out
An attorney for the warehouse owners are asking anyone who took items during the ‘feeding frenzy’ to return the stolen goods
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Portland residents thought they'd stumbled onto the deal of a lifetime on Sunday - an entire warehouse of items, all free for the taking.
At least that's what a painted piece of plywood outside the warehouse's entrance, and a note asking volunteers to hand out items to anyone who wanted or needed them, led them to believe.
In reality, the owner of the warehouse in the city’s northwest had no idea that people were picking over the property, KGW8 reports.
Residents living near the warehouse watched as a crowd empty out the building, prompting one to report a mass burglary at the location. When Portland Police arrived on scene, they found people loading trucks and trailers full of items and walking away with mattresses.
According to police, the individuals they encountered believed that the warehouse was liquidating its stock via a free giveaway.
A 51-year-old man named Shannon Clark was later arrested for allegedly painting the "free" sign on the plywood and for posting the note asking volunteers to hand out items. He was booked on charges of burglary, theft, and aggravated theft, according to police.
His detainment was short lived. On Monday, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office dropped the charges against Clark. Prosecutors said that while they were not pressing charges, it does not mean that they will not announce charges related to the mass theft down the line.
Dan DiCicco, an attorney representing the property owner, real estate developer Carbon Group, told Fox12 he had no idea how word got out about the warehouse. He said that the furniture that was stolen was typically used to model spaces that Carbon Group was planning to develop.
“It looked like a feeding frenzy and we were very upset,” he said. “There was a great deal of valuable property in there, it’s gone now.”
He said he hopes that anyone who took items from the warehouse will return the stolen goods to his clients.
“If you want to get in touch with us and bring it back that would be great,” he said. “It wasn’t free.”
Residents who witnessed the shopping spree described a chaotic scene at the warehouse.
Davina Cruz, who lives near the facility, told KGW8 that she saw someone push a boxes out of a second story window. She also said people were hauling out massive boxes, presumably filled with furniture.
"There were so many people out in the street," Cruz told the broadcaster. "Oh my god, the boxes were huge. They were bigger than me."
Police are still investigating the theft and are attempting to determine what was stolen — and who took the items.