FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth police are asking for the public's help identifying two people accused of stealing communications wire and causing a local power outage.
At about 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 31, police say the pair entered an industrial business park in the 4000 block of East Loop 820 South in East Fort Worth. The suspects chained a section of AT&T communications wire to the bumper of their truck, causing a transformer to explode, police said.
Neighbors told WFAA the power went out for several hours, but that crews restored service that evening.
A business's security video shows the suspects return in the same truck the next afternoon, cut segments of the wire with what appears to be a chainsaw, and load the cable segments into the pickup's bed.
Communications wires sometimes contain metals, including copper and brass, that can be recycled and sold on the black market. A police report indicates the loot could be worth as much as $30,000.
Warehouse employees said the dangling wires blocked big rig delivery drivers from the loading docks in the industrial park.
"We didn't know if it was an electrical wire or what it could be," one worker, who did not want to be identified, told WFAA. "They couldn't go anywhere for several hours until we got that taken care of."
The employee said people have stolen catalytic converters and air conditioner components from the industrial park before, but called this heist unusually "bold."
"It's just unbelievable," she said. "How can they do that in broad daylight?"
Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to call Officer Wright at 817-392-4614. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477.
"The Fort Worth Police Department wants to remind the public of the importance of reporting unusual activity immediately to authorities," the release states. "It can help stop crime and keep our communities safe."