Student Held in $250,000 Artwork Theft
A San Francisco State University psychology student was arrested Thursday on suspicion of stealing pieces of art worth nearly $250,000, police said.
Aaron Schock, 19, said he and a friend crashed a wedding reception last weekend at the Museum of Modern Art, became drunk and removed the artworks, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Schock was booked Thursday on suspicion of burglary. A second suspect planned to surrender later.
Officer Joanne Welsh said the two sneaked into the fourth-floor gallery and took several pictures, including two by Pablo Picasso, off the wall. When they were unable to replace them, they worried about fingerprints, grabbed two other paintings and fled, she said.
Authorities said the two regretted their actions, put the art in a cardboard box and left the box in a parking lot at the Stonestown Shopping Mall.
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