Thief Makes Off With $2K In Hockey Gear From 6-Year-Old OKC Boy

A thief targeted a metro family at a Christmas store over the weekend.

The Shade family was shopping at North Pole City in Oklahoma City when a man broke into their truck and stole more than $2,000 worth of hockey gear. The gear belonged to 6-year-old Gavin Shade.

“Oh my gosh, just when they see fancy stuff, they steal,” Gavin said. “I already got mad at him when he stole that stuff.”

The family had just left Gavin's hockey practice on Saturday and stopped by North Pole City. Moments later, a man in a tan or copper 90s-model GMC Sierra parked next to them, broke into the truck and stole all of Gavin's gear from the covered truck bed.

”It was a little bit of shock. I was like, ‘Really, I'm at a Christmas store? It's the holidays,’” Gavin’s father, James, said incredulously.

Surveillance video showed the crime. The thief stole two complete sets of gear, goalie equipment, a mask, leg pads, chest protector, skates and hockey sticks.

“Some of them were Christmas presents,” Gavin told News 9.

The discovery was very upsetting for the 6-year-old, who loves playing hockey and is proud of his back-to-back championship wins.

James totaled everything up and said it would cost $2,100 to replace what was stolen.

“With bills and everything else, $2,000 is not easy to come up with,” James explained.

There were witnesses to the crime and one man even grabbed a partial plate number as the suspect drove off. The family just wants the gear back.

“He's already at his bad guy house and he thought it was money alright, but until he smells that, he's going to throw it away,” Gavin said.

Witnesses described the man as a Hispanic male in his mid to late 20s.

If you know the guy in the surveillance pictures or where the hockey gear is, call OKC Crime Stoppers at (405) 235-7300.