LOS ANGELES (AP) — Thieves surrounded Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler last month outside a horse racing track in a Los Angeles suburb and slipped an expensive watch off his wrist as he jostled through the crowd, police said Tuesday. It came weeks after another professional athlete in California was the victim of a brazen mugging. Buehler was not threatened during the theft Sept.
28 at the Santa Anita Park horse racing track in Arcadia, police there said. They are investigating two similar episodes the same day that officials say were by organized groups who steal high-end watches in large crowds during events. Buehler was at the track that day with his wife, McKenzie, and his teammate, starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, to attend the inaugural California Crown races .
Buehler, a Lexington, Kentucky, native, is a major fan of the sport. While walking from the paddock to his seat, Buehler was “unknowingly the victim of a snatch and grab robbery of his watch," his agency, Excel Sports Management, said in a statement. “We are grateful Walker and McKenzie were not harmed and Walker is focused on the playoffs,” the agency said.
The Dodgers declined to comment and referred media to the Arcadia police. In one of the three episodes of stolen watches being investigated that day, police arrested a 24-year-old man from Los Angeles. Police said the value of the watches stolen was $100,000 for one and $250,000 for the other.
They did not say which one was Buehler's.