BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Angel Velasco knew her wallet was stolen about 10 minutes after it happened, she said. Velasco owns Angel’s Great Detailing and was working outside with a car at the time. Before she left the lobby, the wallet was under the counter. When she returned, it was gone.
“Horrible,” she said during an interview, thinking about the incident. “I lost my mind, because this changed my life.”
Velasco was grateful that the thief was caught on camera, she said. She showed FOX 17 the security video of a man who walked into her business on July 11, took a sip of water and waited in the lobby. For one minute, he lingers at the counter and then he walks around to see what's there.
“Now he knows, you know, where the wallet is and what he needs or what he wants,” she said looking at him in the video. “He’s reaching over.”
The video then shows the man grabbing her wallet, bolting for the door and jumping into a white Chevy Malibu. Inside the wallet were her credit cards, debit card and personal checks. She immediately called police and went to the bank to check on her account. However, the suspect and the driver had already gone shopping in Kalamazoo.
“$700 they spend in less than two hours,” she said. “Of course they used my four credit cards before my debit card.”
They also spent the $400 Velasco had in her wallet, she said. Velasco couldn't believe it and posted what happened on Facebook. The post has since been viewed over 6,000 times and shared at least 180 times. She hopes it all leads to an arrest.
“This is like my second home,” she said. “I never thought people would walk in and steal things from me."
***For tips, please call the Battle Creek Police Department's Silent Observer line at 269-964-3888***
