A solid gold sculpture known as the Maltese Eagle was stolen from its owner during a viole… https://t.co/CjDbmswU1Qpic.twitter.com/eCO2rjNyAS
— TorontoStar (@TorontoStar) May 31, 2016
Around 10 p.m. on Sunday just outside of Vancouver, Canada, an eagle was stolen. But not just any eagle: a solid-gold eagle that's nearly a foot long and weighs over 17 pounds, according to the National Post.
Said to be worth at least $5 million, the eagle was stolen from the home of its owner, Ron Shore, in what police and Shore have described as a violent theft. Neither have released details beyond that. In all, the eagle has 763 diamonds encrusted on it—weighing over 53 carats—in addition to a 12-carat green emerald attached to its base.
The eagle, which its owner refers to as the Maltese Eagle (alluding, of course, to Dashiell Hammett), was recently displayed at a Vancouver art show.
It's unclear what Shore was doing with it at the time of the theft. He declined to say when asked by reporters, nor did he discuss how he keeps the Maltese Eagle secure.
For now, though, police are in hot pursuit of the thieves, while Shore said he was still a little stunned.
“It was extremely traumatic, basically something out of a movie scene," he told reporters, according to the National Post. "It was crazy."