CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. — A Prince George's County business owner says he is out of $20,000 after a storage trailer filled with batting equipment was stolen.
Andre Hockaday says he was storing baseball equipment inside the trailer while he renovated the inside of his Capitol Heights athletic center.
"I forgot the lock at home," said Hockaday talking about the security clip for the trailer. He says an hour after he left the business, the thief drove up and in a matter of minutes, took the white storage trailer off the lot.
Surveillance video shows that on Friday, Oct. 8 a dark truck pulled into the parking lot of On Deck batting cages in the 9000 block of Edgeworth Drive. The vehicle appears to be a Dodge pickup.
The driver steps out of the truck and inspects the storage trailer, making several loops around. Minutes later he pulls up in front of the trailer, hooks it up and drives off the lot.
"I had softball pitching machines, baseball pitching machines, turfs, nets," says Hockaday. According to the business owner, he also had donations that are meant for children who cannot afford baseball equipment in the county.
Hockaday says he has no idea who the driver who took his equipment might be, especially because the industrial park where the business is located is in a remote area with little traffic.
"Surprised that someone would actually steal from a business that serves the community, but also to kids," he told WUSA9.
The incident has not only left Hockaday out of money, but he says this has delayed his reopening. He was hoping to have the indoor batting cages up and running by November but now has to start from scratch collecting some of the equipment that he lost. Hockaday says finding some of the machinery inside the trailer can take up to three weeks just to order.
This business owner is asking anyone who has information about the truck or the driver to call Prince George's County Police. Meanwhile, he has started a GoFundMe Page to help recuperate some of the items lost.
Sign up for the Get Up DC newsletter: Your forecast. Your commute. Your news.
Sign up for the Capitol Breach email newsletter, delivering the latest breaking news and a roundup of the investigation into the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.