Thieves Nab 8 Rare, Antique Bows from Archery Museum
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.29.14
Eight antique and rare bows were stolen from a museum in New Westminster, British Columbia last week. According to Global News, the bows were on display at Boorman Archery shop and museum before last Friday, when thieves smashed through a window and escaped with the valuable items. It is likely that the thieves were familiar with the prices of the bows, estimated at over $20,000, since they targeted them specifically. The museum’s owner, Ron Boorman, said that the stolen bows were insured but irreplaceable. He made several of the bows himself and some have been featured in films, including one used by actress Jessica Biel in Blade Trinity and another by Jennifer Garner in Elektra.
Founded in 1964, Ron Boorman has been running his museum, shop, and archery school for decades. The veteran archer is considered by some to be an icon in Western Canada and holds two gold medals from the annual Can-Am Fire and Police Games held in Spokane, Washington. Boorman hopes that no one gets hurt with one of the stolen items—the museum owner warned that many of the bows are old and in various states of disrepair, and thus are never meant to be fired.
“Our biggest concern is the crossbow,” he told CTV News. “It’s a really old bow and if they try to load it, it’s got cracked limbs on it and a really bad trigger so they could end up in the hospital,” he said. “So that’s a little warning for the crooks.”
Police are reviewing surveillance footage that showed the thieves hastily retrieving the weapons from the store, dropping several in their attempt to make a fast getaway in what appears to be a minivan. New Westminster Police are asking anybody that may have information on the burglary to report it as soon as possible.
You can see an interview with Boorman and a portion of the surveillance video below:
