Ever wonder how those sneaky succulent thieves operate? How DO they abscond with plants from the front yards of green-thumbed Bernal residents? Wonder no more, because Bernalwood has obtained footage that shows exactly how one such theft unfolded.

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Yesterday a tipster sent Bernalwood a security camera video that shows a guy stealing succulents from the front of a house on Prospect Avenue. (Thank you!) In the video, the theft was a drive-by; The perp parked at the corner, captured the unsuspecting plant, then sped away with the stolen goods in his getaway car.

But before you go calling Officer Elton with a hot tip, remember: This video was taken in 2010, which means the trail on this particular caper has likely gone cold. Yet this video is satisfying nevertheless, because it strips some of the mystery from Bernal’s Succulent Stealing Crime Spree.

UPDATE 3 Aug, 2011: Corroborating the “drive-by” plant theft technique shown in the video, a Bernal neighbor emailed a more recent witness report to us this afternoon:

We live on Nevada St. right off of Cortland and a few nights ago my dad while parking our van saw a red car (he could not tell what model and make) that stopped in the middle of our block and dropped a tall male off who proceded to walk down the block where there was a pot with a bougainvillea plant.  My dad said the man picked up the potted plant and the red car drove down to the corner of Cortland and Nevada and picked the guy up.  My dad who was parked in front of our house honked the moment he saw the guy pick up the plant but by the time my dad could yell or something they were gone.