Giant animal-like plant sculptures worth $14,000 stolen from Broward business, owner says
If a green rhino, dinosaur or ram pops up in your neighborhood, you might want to call the police.
First reported by WSVN 7 News, three sculptures worth roughly $14,000 were stolen from The Plant Guy in Wilton Manors over the past four days.
“We’ve been closed for almost six weeks now,” The Plant Guy’s owner Matthew Lang explained. “... [Money has] been tight. The last thing I need to lose was $14,000.”
The plant-covered dinosaur and ram arrangements were taken from the botanical design center, located on East Oakland Park Boulevard, over the weekend. Thieves then swiped the rhino piece Monday afternoon in broad daylight, says Lang. Security cameras captured the last heist, the footage of which shows four men throwing the 300-pound sculpture into the back of a pickup truck.
“It was concreted in the ground in front of my store,” Lang said, “and they pried it up with a piece of bar metal.”
This loss only exacerbates an already rough financial time for Lang. Forced to downsize due to the coronavirus pandemic, he has spent the past week moving to a nearby location. Having his creations stolen during that process left him feeling vulnerable.
“To have someone taking from me, it’s kind of a weird feeling,” Lang said.
It’s unclear who ran off with his work, but Lang believes the burglaries involved the same suspects.
Anyone with information should call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 5:22 PM.
