Persistent Thieves Steal Vaporizers From St. Mark's Head Shop

The above surveillance tape from Smoking Tattoos on St. Mark's shows the theft of four vaporizers after repeated visits to the store by a group of young people. The Local Blog over at the Times obtained the footage, in which you can clearly see the group milling about and plotting their theft. Why can't those shoplifters just sell their gold 4 cash and buy a vaporizer like the rest of us?

The robbery happened at around 9:20pm on November 25th. The lone shopkeeper describes the theft as a daring heist involving light conversation and brief walks outside:

"I saw the other guy come back up front and he was handling the Volcano [a vaporizer that the store sells for $750]. That's when he was like, 'Two white boys just ran out with a bunch of stuff,' and that's when I realized it was gone." She added, "I knew something was up when he told me two white boys ran off with it, because there weren't any - there were just the two [paying customers] that were right in front of me, but he was like, 'Oh, you were just talking to them and helping them out.' But I never helped any out."

...

"He grabbed the box again and said, 'Oh, I'm just going to talk to the guy outside [the tattoo artist] about it.' That's when I said, 'No, he has nothing to do with it - you're not taking it outside.' He started asking me a bunch of questions about the Volcano itself, saying he already had it and there's something wrong with it; he didn't know who to return it to, and he said that he wanted to purchase this one also."

While they didn't make off with the Volcano--the Cadillac of vaporizers--they did steal four Iolite WISPRs, valued at over $200 each. VaporizerBlog.com says the WISPR is "the portable vaporizer to beat on the market," despite not having a customized temperature control.

To think those shoplifters are enjoying Irish vaporizer manufacturer Oglesby & Butler's finest device to date just makes our blood vapor.

Police were contacted but no arrests have been made.

Smoking Tattoos' Facebook page currently has a post on their wall that warns, "‎;( Anyone caught shop lifting will be beaten senseless!!"

Video: Thieves Make Vaporizers Vanish From a St. Marks Smoke Shop [NYT]

[@nickgreene][ngreene@villagevoice.com]