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(VIDEO) Man caught stealing from Peoria cheerleading studio

Posted at 6:29 PM, Jul 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-03 01:51:52-04

Go! Fight! Steal?

A Valley man is no cheerleader, but he hit the mats on Friday at a Peoria cheerleading gym to steal equipment and party supplies.

Surveillance video shows the suspect prancing along the floor meant for stunts and tumbling, but instead he swipes a bounce house, speakers, stereos and other items from the building near the Loop 101 and Bell Road. The suspect pried open a backdoor and made his way to the valuables.

"We discovered that the bounce house was gone, the vacuum cleaner, the iPad," Dennis Chesney explained. "They literally just wiped it all out."

Arizona Element Elite Cheer's co-owner Dennis Chesney told ABC15 he feels like it has to have been someone who had been to the gym before, as he knew where everything of value was and how to steal those big items so quickly.

He said, he does not recognize the man in the video, but thinks someone had to have filled him in on the gym's layout.

"If you look at the video, you can see the way he walked around, he walked backwards a lot, he turned his head to the left and to the right depending on what camera he was facing," Chesney explained. "So, he had a good idea of what was going on."

The suspect knew to go after some extensive wiring for their huge sound system.

"You can see how well this [the stereo] was fitted for it by the damage he did trying to get them out."

They have insurance, but Chesney said it is going to take deductibles and time.

He said the real victims are the team-oriented tumblers that come there; some even six times a week.

"How do you steal from kids? You know, this is home away from home for kids," Chesney said. "This is their pride and joy.

But, this squad will bounce back - all despite the suspect being their team's weak link. 

Peoria police say the suspect is either Caucasian or Hispanic with a skinny build. He was wearing a black shirt, black hat and red shorts at the time of the incident.

The gym is offering a $1,000 reward for any information that could help catch the suspect. You can contact Peoria police if you know who the person in the video is.