SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The alarm goes off. It’s just before 6 a.m. on a chilly January morning. “The burglars are upstairs in the building right now,” the art gallery owner tells the 911 operator. “A burglary, in progress, live.”
What unfolds is worthy of a Hollywood movie. Except it’s happening here in Old Town Scottsdale. Newly released body camera footage shows police rushing to the American Fine Art gallery on January 7, 2024. It’s so early that it’s still dark outside. The shops are closed and the streets are deserted.
A sharp-eyed Scottsdale police officer spots someone running on the roof. He discharges pepper balls toward the roof. “You’re going to get pepper-balled again,” he yells. In the background, other officers shout commands at the suspect. It’s unclear to police whether there is more than one suspect.
Police keep an eye on the suspect on the roof. Another team prepares to enter the art gallery through the front door. “Police K-9,” an officer yells into the gallery. “Last warning, if you are in this building you got to surrender now or you’re gonna get bit.” Police sweep into the gallery behind the dog. But it’s quiet inside.
The dark police uniforms are stark to the colorful paintings that cover the walls. “It’s going to be a maze,” one officer remarks, referring to the gallery’s multiple rooms and closets. The initial search comes up empty. So they head upstairs to the roof where a drone camera is keeping an eye on the lone suspect. He’s lying face down on the roof. Police believe he’s trying to hide.
They edge toward him, guns drawn. “He’s going to be right there. You can see him right there,” one officer says, gesturing in the suspect’s direction. Another officer yells commands. “Stand up. Keep your hands up where I can see them,” an officer shouts. “Hands straight, up in the air. Face away from me. “Stop right there. Do not move.” They move in for the arrest.
The suspect tells police he’s living on the streets and sleeping on the roof for the night, according to a police report. He denies breaking into the gallery, denies taking any art, and denies running from officers. They don’t believe him. Nearby on the roof, police say, they find burglary tools and a mask.
Police document the scene thoroughly, with an officer stating, “I want everything photographed where it’s at. He’s got artwork staged up here. Gloves, glass-breaking tools. All kinds of crap.” And not just any art: three Pablo Picassos and two Andy Warhols, according to the police report. There is also a poster by the American pop artist, Keith Haring. The gallery owner tells police the total value is about $250,000.
During the investigation, police find a white BMW parked nearby, registered in the suspect's name. The suspect, 32-year-old Harpreet Singh, is arrested and indicted on felony burglary and theft charges. He pleads not guilty. Released on $50,000 bond with an ankle monitor, prosecutors allege within weeks he defied a court order not to leave the state.
“He removed his ankle monitor, threw it in a dumpster and fled to Las Vegas. He was found at a luxury hotel by the U.S. Marshals Service,” said Richelle Burch, a prosecutor for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, during a court hearing.
This prompts additional criminal charges, including escape and interfering with a monitoring device. He’s also pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Interestingly, Arizona is not the only place where he’s facing criminal charges. Just days before the Scottsdale theft, he allegedly took two Andy Warhol prints from a West Hollywood gallery, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The two Andy Warhol edition prints were valued at nearly $100,000.
Detectives arrested Singh outside another West Hollywood art gallery about a mile from the first gallery where the art had been stolen. He was allegedly carrying one of the stolen California prints. “The individual tried to sell it on Sunset Boulevard in the same jurisdiction,” said Sgt. Evelio Galvez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station.
Court records show Singh was arrested in late December 2023 and charged with burglary, grand theft, and possession of burglary tools in Los Angeles Superior Court. He pleaded not guilty in California and was released in early January 2024 on a $5,000 bond.
Days later, he showed up in Arizona and the rooftop arrest happened at the Scottsdale art gallery. Singh is scheduled for trial in April on the Arizona charges and faces about a decade in prison if convicted. But prosecutors say they are considering a plea offer. The body cam video is expected to be key evidence if the case goes to trial.
Singh’s attorney, Julio Laboy, tells ABC15: “Sometimes a video or drone or body cam will not show the full context of what happens before or after. Sometimes it’s best to let a jury figure it out because he’s presumed innocent.”
