Story by Celebrity Artist and Journalist Chris W. Tutty.
$5000 REWARD for information leading to an arrest in The Calgary Star Wars Darth Vader Helmet Heist
Caveman criminals smash in the door of Zero Latency On Tilt VR Bar with a rock! We are here to help share the first news of this story and spread the word to catch these criminals.
If you recognize this person please contact us or the Calgary Police.
Priceless collectables were stolen in a 90 second smash and grab from Calgary local business Zero Latency On Tilt VR Bar, in what’s being called The Star Wars Darth Vader Helmet Heist.
The culprit's car on the day of the theft.
For two young business owners that are so active in raising money for local charities, it was just another blow for the already struggling small business that opened their doors just 2 days into the pandemic. With low sales over the last couple of years, vendors pulling rent shared arcade games, and training employees coming and going due to multiple forced closures, it was already a hard go. With the strict COVID regulations, the owners found themselves having to wear several business hats and were never shy to
pitch in and help staff in bartending and waitressing as it was tough to keep going through the mandated closures. When finally allowed to open, they were absolutely heartbroken as the once busy venue was now an empty room as it had no consistency.
Priceless Darth Vader Helmet signed by the 1977 cast of Star Wars "A New Hope".
After a pricey new age renovation to this amazing family business, little budget was really left for decor.
Dan and Steve came up with the idea to bring in some Star Wars and sports related items from their personal collections, purchased at multiple local fundraisers to add some flavor and ambiance to the place.
On the morning of March 25th at 5:17am to be exact according to monitoring cameras, two determined and sophisticated morons dressed from head to toe in brand name apparel with covered faces broke into the building located at 6940 Fisher Road.
Their initial access was through the breaking of a realtor lock box outside, they then proceeded to the glass doors of the business, and broke the doors with a rock and crawled through a hole in the door, almost cutting themselves from fallen debris.
Once inside it was like the Grinch who stole Christmas or more like Comicon as the chubby short assailants grabbed an On Tilt logo duffle bag and proceeded to fill it. They ripped a signed Captain Kirk uniform off the wall, then grabbed a signed Bubbles Trailer Park Hockey Jersey, and several Calgary Flames signed sports items and stashed them in their newly stolen loot bag.
Dan Carey and Friends.
Sadly they also got their hands on the holy grail of Star Wars fanboys items. This was the first item they targeted: a priceless Darth Vader Helmet signed by the whole cast of the 1977 Star Wars movie “A New Hope”. No, their getaway vehicle was not the Millennium Falcon but what appears to be a small hatchback Chevy Aveo, which disappeared faster than light speed.
The Star Wars poster that Rick from Pawn Stars tried to buy for $75,000!
Rick from Pawn Stars tried to buy a similar item in 2018, a Star Wars Poster “ A new Hope” with all the 1977 cast signatures, but couldn't come to a deal at $75,000. With several of these actors no longer alive, such as Carrie Fisher, this is going to be an impossible item to replace.
With the foreseeable future of the restaurant industry only getting worse with a new liquor tax being enforced in April of 6.3 %, these guys don't want to weather this new storm without sending a message to the Imperial scum (aka criminals like this), that crime doesn't pay and senseless crimes like this to any business owner should not be tolerated.
As realistic as it feels, this is not real life. The technology is incredibly immersive, and the set-up is perfect for that. You have a huge space to freely walk around in, there are no cables or wires. - WIRED
Should you or anyone you know or have any information that could lead to an arrest and the return of these items there will be a $5,000 dollar reward provided. “It's time to stick up for local business, buy local, support local.” Says Carey as he sweeps up the broken glass with a small tear in his eye and little hope for the future of his business.
Tim Ruse, Zero Latency CEO was joined by Thomas Dexmier, HTC Vive Country Manager, live on Instagram to discuss how their partnership has led to an amazing step forward for immersive experiences, and what we can expect in the future. Also featuring Scott Vandonkelaar, Zero Latency CTO.
With such hard items to fence or sell like this Darth Vader mask, the future could only be a funeral pyre similar to the on screen demise of Lord Vader, or it could possibly end up in a trash compactor.
Please share this article guys and hopefully we can bring some justice and A New Hope to struggling business owners all over the galaxy. I know things are hard for all of us, but if you can afford it please support local businesses. May the force be with you.
Stay tuned to Chris and Dan's podcast interview to talk more detail about how to help them find the culprits.
Story By Reporter/Journalist
Your Buddy Chris W. Tutty
Edited by Darren Ballingall
Imherewithmagazine@gmail.com email us for any information or to help Zero Latency and we can ass on the information.
I'm Here With gives permission to share any of this content in the story in the hopes of generating any leads in the apprehension of these criminals.