Panther City BBQ accused another restaurant of equipment thefts. Now police are involved.
The owners of a popular Fort Worth barbecue restaurant have publicly accused a diner in the city of taking part in a series of restaurant equipment thefts.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, the owners of Panther City BBQ blamed the diner for the theft of two of their smokers that were stolen in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
“Over the last 3 weeks we discovered a good old fashion crime ring which involves another local Fort Worth business/restaurant owner,” the post read. The post showed pictures of a white van tied to the theft parked outside the suspected diner.
The Star-Telegram is not naming the diner or its owner because charges have not been been filed.
The same white van was seen leaving the scene of a theft in Arlington in mid-December, said Panther City BBQ owner Chris Magallanes.
Magallanes also shared security footage of the van driving near his restaurant days before his smokers were stolen. Police traced the stolen smokers to a field near the diner through trackers attached to the smokers, Magallanes said.
Magallanes said he saw the van numerous times outside the diner, and tracked it to a property in south Fort Worth where he observed the driver unloading three oven ranges.
Police confiscated the van on Saturday after Magallanes reported seeing it outside the suspected diner, he said.
Fort Worth police confirmed in an email to the Star-Telegram that officers found and towed a van, but would not offer additional details other than to say the investigation is ongoing
The diner owner told the Star-Telegram Monday that he had no knowledge of the theft. He said people come in and out of his diner all the time, and it’s not his job to check whether they’re thieves or carrying stolen property.
He threatened to sue the owners of Panther City BBQ over the social media post.
Magallanes said he has hours of surveillance footage connecting the diner to the thefts. He said he turned that information over to the police to aid their investigation.
The possibility that another Fort Worth restaurant would be connected to the thefts is disheartening, Magallanes said.
“We have great relationships in the restaurant industry in Fort Worth, so to know there’s a business that would turn and steal from other businesses sucks,” he said.
This story was originally published January 22, 2024 at 5:20 PM.
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