Police seek pint-size suspect in salon thefts

Atlanta police are looking for a pint-sized thief who committed a brazen crime at Buckhead salon. The suspect, who appears to be about 13 years old, was caught on tape ripping off workers at the Eminence Spa and Salon on Saturday night.

Cam Nguyen said that Saturday nights are usually the busiest day time for the salon with more than 50 workers scheduled to do nails.

"It's shocking to us. We didn't really expect it, you know. We were expecting an adult, instead of a kid." Nguyen said.

Workers leave their wallets and phones in lockers, but they usually don't lock them up, Nguyen said.

When workers saw the young man around the salon last Saturday night, they just assumed he was the son of a customer.

"We knew that he was in here, but there was nothing that was suspicious about him for us to really focus on him," said Nguyen.

Police say the suspect roamed the salon for around an hour, stuffing his pockets and pants, with what workers left in their lockers. Authorities said that he had so much of that stuff that the surveillance video shows his pants nearly falling off as he walked out.

Spa workers think someone may have put the kid up to it, knowing that he looked innocent.
 
"That was his cover. And of course people are not going to focus on a kid too much, versus an adult coming in here and stealing something," Nguyen said. "It's easier for him as a kid to do it."