Suspects caught on camera stealing equipment in South Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin man is hoping surveillance video will help him track down the people who stole a piece of his equipment. 

He said the loss hits close to home.

The backstory:

Video from Monday, Jan. 19, around 6:30 a.m., showed a man struggling to move a dolly between two cars at an apartment complex in South Austin. 

On the dolly is a compressor belonging to Dillon Campbell. Before it was his though, it was his father’s.

"He died two years ago, but he's had it since about 2007," Campbell said.

Campbell said he had just bought a new work truck and loaded the heavy compressor in the back on it himself.

"I loaded it myself, but it wasn't easy, and I threw my back out. It hurt for three days. You know what I mean?" Campbell said.

He said it was strapped in and chained.

Then on Monday morning, Campbell said he noticed something unusual looking outside his window.

"I probably missed them by five minutes. I just happened to look out my window and saw my cooler looked like it was open, and in my cooler I keep drinks in there, so I'm not really worried about people taking drinks out of my cooler. I don't lock it or anything. I was like, at least close the dang thing, you know?" Campbell said.

He said he went outside to look at it.

"I’m looking at it, and I'm like something ain't right here, and I notice my compressor's missing, and that's when I went into like full panic," Campbell said.

For Campbell, he said the loss isn’t about the money.

"It's about that my dad gave me that, and he can no longer give me anything. You know what I mean? Because he's not here, you know?" Campbell said.

Campbell said he is determined to get his compressor back.

"I've been on the Facebook marketplace, checking pawn shops and stuff. I'm going to do everything I can to find it," Campbell said.

Campbell said he hopes the video will help. It shows a man hitting the car, scraping up the neighbor’s Tesla, then another angle shows someone handing over what looks like a strap for the man to then strap the compressor down in the back.

Campbell said when the people are caught, he knows exactly what he would like to see happen first.

"First, I would have them personally load it back into my truck and lock it up, and then the cops can take the bad guys, they can lock them up and take them to jail. But first, lock my compressor back. We shouldn't have to load it. I threw my back out trying to load that thing," Campbell said.

Campbell said he hopes someone will recognize the compressor or the two people. 

If you have information to help with the investigation, call Austin police.