05 July 07 - 19:29PRESS: Burnaby Newsleader
YouTube video helps police make arrest
By Michael McQuillan
NewsLeader
Jul 05 2007
New Westminster Police appear to have a new crime fighting tool at their disposal.
A video surveillance of a New Westminster break-in has resulted in the arrest of a suspect after the video was posted to the YouTube website in April.
Robert Paul Paracholski, 28, has been arrested and charged with one count of break and enter. A caller tipped police to the supsect’s identity after viewing the video posted on the popular video file-sharing site.
The video, shot around 3 a.m. on April 3 was taken by in-store cameras at GameDeals Video Games on Columbia Street. It shows two men walking past the store numerous times. At one point they both peer in. After a few minutes one of the suspects throws a brick through the door front and then enters the store carrying a large bag.
One camera shows him walking in the store and leaving with video games.
Store owner Brian Hughes sent the video to New Westminster Police and also posted it on YouTube. Tens of thousands of people around the world watched the surveillance footage.
Paracholski was arrested and released on an appearance notice to attend court on at a later date.
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05 July 07 - 19:23PRESS: Metro newspaper
Alleged thief brought down by YouTube
The popular video-sharing website YouTube is being
credited for helping catch a man who allegedly broke
into a New Westminster video store, police said yesterday.
Robert Paul Paracholski, 28, has been arrested and
charged with one count of break and enter.
On April 3, a man was captured on surveillance
video as he smashed the front window of Game
Deals, a video game store in the 400 Block of Columbia
Street. The man then entered the business and “ransacked”
a number of display cases, stealing games
and even a computer system. Footage of the robbery
was posted on YouTube, leading to a tip on April 18
and Paracholski’s subsequent arrest.
The 28-year-old has been released on a promise to
appear at a later date.
JEFF HODSON/METRO VANCOUVER
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04 July 07 - 21:31PRESS: Royal City Record
To catch a thief
By Brooke Larsen
Record reporter
YouTube sleuths have helped police solve a smash-and-grab at a local video game shop.
Robert Paul Paracholski, 28, has been charged with one count of break-and-enter, after tipsters responded to footage posted on a video-sharing website, a spokesperson for New Westminster Police Service said Tuesday.
In April, two people smashed the windows at Gamedeals Video Games - on Columbia Street by Fourth Street - stealing a computer and several games.
Shortly after, store owner Brian Hughes put security footage of the crime on the video-sharing website YouTube.
Police received 10 to 20 tips from users of the site, including one that led to an arrest, Det. Const. Terry Wilson said.
The store's customers have also helped, Hughes said, adding media coverage of the crime has boosted business.
"People just wander into the store and say, 'I know the guy.' The second question is, 'Did they catch him?'"
The arrest is also a first for local police.
"We've never had tips from something like YouTube," Wilson said. "The public are the police as well. This is just a new technology that can assist us with solving crimes."
A date for Paracholski's next court appearance has not been set.
As of Tuesday morning, footage of the crime had been viewed more than 20,169 times. The video can be watched by going to www.youtube.com and searching for 'Gamedeals.'
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04 July 07 - 12:54PRESS: Sing Tao (Chinese newspaper)
NOTE: If you see a bunch of question marks... you don't have Chinese language support.
打劫真人show 任人瀏覽 竊匪終「扮蟹」.店主上載 YouTube擒賊建奇功
本報記者報道
二埠一家電子遊戲店的店主，把竊賊打破玻璃進入店內爆竊的片段，放上YouTube互聯網上，結果有人看到並認出竊賊，通知警方，警方憑線報把疑犯拘捕歸案。 這宗爆竊案發生於3個月前。位於二埠哥倫比亞街（Columbia St.）407號的GameDeals電子遊戲店，在4月3日凌晨時分，遭人打破店鋪玻璃門入內，偷走一台電腦和大量電子遊戲。不過，賊人並不知道自己的一舉一動，原來已給店內的閉路電視拍下來，電子遊戲店店主，後來把這個片段上載到流行網站YouTube （http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH7atEVH6iE），公開給人瀏覽。
這個片段全長約4分鐘，最初見到兩個男子在店外，透過玻璃窗查看店內情況，大約一分鐘後，有人用硬物打破大門玻璃，跟著身型較大的一人進入店內，鏡頭漆黑了一段時間，隨後見到有人拿著一個大袋從破門離開，而影片末段就見到店內遭人搜掠後的凌亂情況。
這段影片除了配上音樂之外，還有英文字幕，例如叫認出這兩個竊賊的人報警，或者直接聯絡該電子遊戲店。
二埠警方在4月18日收到市民舉報，舉報人說看過影片後，知道竊賊是誰。警方後來根據舉報人提供的資料，認出並拘捕其中一個疑匪。被捕男子名叫柏拉曹斯基（Robert Paul Paracholski），28歲，被控一項爆竊罪名。目前獲准釋放候審。
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04 July 07 - 12:47PRESS: Vancouver Sun
YouTube posting helps nab video store robber
Jonathan Woodward, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, July 04, 2007
NEW WESTMINSTER - A 28-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a video store break-in two months ago after the store owner posted the security camera footage of the incident on YouTube.
The four-minute video, posted shortly after the April break-in, shows two people staring into the window of Game Deals Video Games on Columbia Street in New Westminster before one returns, smashes the glass door, and ransacks the store. The video shows the person fleeing with a computer and two duffel bags full of video games, New Westminster police said.
Game Deals owner Brian Hughes made the video by editing it and adding a soundtrack from one of his games, he said.
He played it in his office, and then posted it on the Internet. More than 20,000 people saw the video and one of them sent a tip to the police.
Robert Paul Paracholski has been charged with one count of break and enter and will appear in court today.
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UPDATE: There was a tiny blurb in the Vancouver Province as well.
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03 July 07 - 18:56PRESS: News 1130
YouTube helps police solve break-in case
Tuesday, July 03 - 01:34:42 PM Jim Goddard
NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS1130) - Thanks to YouTube, a crook in New Westminster is cooling his heels behind bars. The owner of Game Deals on Columbia Street posted a security video on the popular website after his shop was broken into April 3rd. The tape showed the front window being broken, and a man packing out video games and computer equipment.
Police say April 18th, they received a tip from a person who viewed the security video. A 28 year old man now faces charges.
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03 July 07 - 15:24PRESS RELEASE Re: YouTube Robbery
So the New Westminster police finally sent out the press release... here it is:
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N E W S R E L E A S E
DATE OF RELEASE: July 3rd, 2007
CAPTION: You Tube Break and Enter Video Suspect Identified and Arrested.
New Westminster Police wish to thank the public for their assistance and tips with respect to a recent Break and Enter that was captured on video surveillance and subsequently aired on a popular internet website “You Tube.”
On April 3rd, 2007, during the early morning hours, Game Deals located at 407 Columbia Street was broken into.
The suspect was captured smashing out the front window of the business at which time; he entered the business and ransacked the display cases taking numerous video games and a computer system. The crime was captured on a surveillance camera located at the business, which was subsequently placed on “You Tube” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH7atEVH6iE
On April 18th, 2007, police received a tip as a result of a citizen watching his You Tube Video.
This tip resulted in the identification of the offender.
Police have identified and arrested a 28 year-old male (Robert Paul PARACHOLSKI) who had been charged with one count of Break and Enter.
PARACHOLSKI was arrested and released on an Appearance Notice to attend court on at a later date.
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An additional note: Robert did not show up to his first appearance... so there is another warrant out for his arrest.
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