Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a pair of thieves who stole a parrot from a cage outside of an East Long Beach home.
The theft happened shortly before 2:50 a.m. June 5 on Cortner Avenue, just east of Norwalk Boulevard, according to Long Beach police.
Home surveillance video showed two men walk up to the cage, which was next to the home’s front door, open it and take the Yellow-naped Amazon parrot, police said. The thieves ran off northbound on Cortner Avenue, then entered a black sedan.
Police shared still images from the video, which showed one of the men wearing a blue hoodie, light blue jeans and white shoes. The other man appeared to be wearing a black hoodie, black pants and gray shoes.
Parrots can sell for thousands of dollars online. KTLA reported that the bird’s owner, Randi Winter, is offering a $5,000 reward for his safe return, no questions asked.
Winter told the news station that he bought the bird from a Redondo Beach pet shop in 1996. He initially kept the bird inside the home, but moved the cage outside after his wife experienced allergic reactions.
Anyone with information on the thieves or their potential whereabouts was asked to contact LBPD’s burglary detail at 562-570-7351.