The owner of a computer store outside of St. John's has uploaded surveillance video to the popular online video website YouTube in an effort to catch a thief.
appears to show a man with red hair taking computer component from a display case and walking out the door -- all the while glancing over his shoulder -- without paying for it.
Dave McGrath, owner of Computer Depot M.D. in Mount Pearl, N.L., told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday that after he reported the incident to local police, his nephew suggested he upload the footage to the video-sharing website.
"We talked about it for a few seconds and then said sure, why not," he said from St. John's.
The incident took place on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 18. McGrath said a store clerk had left for the afternoon, leaving two technicians shorthanded as they worked in the back of the store.
McGrath said both technicians were on the phone at the time of the incident. They confronted the man as he exited the store, but let the man go after they questioned him.
The cameras, which are sold at the computer shop, had only been installed two weeks before the alleged theft.
McGrath said posting the video has prompted a number of leads in the case with one tipster writing in an email they were "1,000 per cent sure" they knew the identity of the man featured in the video.
"Once it hit the Internet, within an hour we had two solid leads and we phoned the police with those and they followed up. One they said was an uncanny resemblance and the other they are investigating now," he said.
McGrath said he has been contacted by a number of other small businesses in the area reporting similar thefts.
Police have not released the name of any suspects and no charges have been laid in the case.
A number of police agencies across Canada have turned to YouTube and other high-traffic sites to aid in their investigations.
Last week, Toronto police posted a video appeal on YouTube for tips relating to the shooting death of Hou Chang Mao, who was killed by a stray bullet on Jan. 17 outside the supermarket where he worked.
Police have also created a group on Facebook.com called "Please Help! Hou Chang Mao" that features videos, posters and a photograph of a vehicle of interest.
