Surveillance video recorded a rare occurrence wherein an anonymous man, dressed in a cowboy hat and poncho with a mask, robbed a family-operated winery in Washington state.
The odd burglar targeted Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville, abolishing $600,000 worth of methodically manufactured white wine before making a hasty escape into the woods.
The videotape displays the suspect coolly entering the building after apparently entering an employee keycode on the side door around 7:34 p.m. on the eve of Thanksgiving, the New York Post reported.
The video from the storeroom further displays gallons of handmade white wins overflowing out of tanks, falling onto the grounds.
According to KOMO, the white wine dropped for at least nine minutes straight as the man left the building through a backdoor and made his way into the woods carrying an umbrella.
The King County Sheriff’s Office said that the man opened the facility through an employee entrance using a code on November 22.
The sheriff said that the suspect emptied two stainless steel wine tanks that held about 2500 gallons in each.
“It just shows this person wanted to hit this winery as hard as [they] could to take the biggest loss that they could,” said Sergeant Eric White with the King County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement to Fox 13, the Sparkman family wrote, “This is a tough blow for our small family business and was timed to deliver maximum damage right as the holidays get underway. Our team has remained steadfast and focused in the face of this unimaginable crime.
We remain committed to delivering superb wines to all our customers and are grateful for the extraordinary outpouring of support from our community of wineries, restaurants, retailers, and wine lovers.”