Restaurant Publicly Shames Art Thieves with Facebook Post

June 18, 2014 -- Bet these guys will think twice before breaking the law again.

Three men stole art off the wall of Arizona restaurant The McMillan earlier this month.

Except they probably didn’t realize they were being filmed. After managing partner Tyler Christensen saw the art was missing, he checked the tapes and watched the entire crime unfold.

“Luckily about two days previous we had had security cameras installed just for situations like this,” Christensen told ABC News. “I could see the guy reach up and put the painting in his backpack and they just walked out the door.”

The painting, by local artist Emma Gardner, had been hanging on the new bar’s wall as a part of Flagstaff’s “First Fridays,” where area artists display their work for sale.

“This was not just décor, but somebody’s income, and I felt obligated to get it back for her,” Christensen said.

With Gardner’s consent, Christensen decided to post an open letter to Facebook with a photo of the art being stolen, publicly shaming the thieves and asking for the painting’s return.

“We enjoyed having you as our guest up until the moment you decided that the art we had on public display would look better in your private collection. I’m sure you were aware that this artwork is for sale, and could have been yours, all the artist and myself ask is that you fairly compensate the artist for their creative work,” the post said. “Until you return the art, this image of you will adorn our walls where her painting once hung.”

Since then, nearly 5,000 people liked the post and more than 8,100 people shared it, prompting two of the men pictured in the photo to pay Christensen the $500 for the painting.

“They a brought the money by individually and expressed their apologies and basically paid the artist for her lost artwork,” Christensen said, though the men did not return the art. “[Their photo] will remain [on the wall] until either we get the painting back or the end of [Gardner’s] art show which is the next ‘First Friday’ in July.”