Thieves made away with at least three watches at Santa Anita Park Sept. 28 and an investigation is underway, according to a press release issued by the Arcadia Police Department Oct. 8.
According to the report, one of the victims was surrounded by the suspects and were able to remove the victim's watch after creating confusion. In a second incident, the victim had their watch removed after moving through a large crowd of patrons and only realized it several hours later.
Police also identified a third incident, three suspects approached the victim, one of whom attempted to hug the victim. A second thief began to remove their watch, but the victim noticed.
“The victim felt his watch being removed and confronted the suspects who immediately left the area,” read the police release. “The victim alerted Santa Anita Park security and Arcadia Police officers who were in the area were able to locate one of the suspects involved in the attempted theft and take him into custody.”
The suspect was later identified as Camilo Nino-Hernandez, a 24-year-old man from Los Angeles. According to police, Nino-Hernandez was charged with Grand Theft and was also charged with being in possession of a fraudulent social security card.
Based on the initial investigation, it appears all three victims were targeted by different organized groups of people.
Arcadia Police Department stated it will not release the victim's information, although according to published reports one of the victims is confirmed as Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler. A Lexington, Kentucky native, Buehler, the 30-year-old is a longtime horse racing fan who owned a micro-share in 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic.
As first reported by ABC 7 Eyewitness News in Los Angeles, Buehler was at Santa Anita with his wife, McKenzie Marcinek, when they were surrounded by a group of people, one of whom unbuttoned his shirtsleeve and took his watch, said to be worth $100,000.
For the complete Arcadia Police Dept. press release on X, click here.
Anyone with information on this incident may contact Arcadia Police Department at (626) 574-5151. Or to provide information anonymously, call 'Crime Stoppers' at (800) 222-8477.
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