Over 1,000 pairs of stolen ‘Yeezy’ sneakers found at U-Haul

A massive amount of Yeezy-branded sneakers were found in the back of a stolen truck on Saturday night, leading to an arrest.

Rupert Crosse, 26, was arrested by the Portland Police Bureau North Precinct for felony aggravated robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle, local station KOIN reported. Police say the U-Haul truck full of shoes designed by Kanye West was stolen earlier that night. He was booked into Multnomah County Jail following his arrest, but it is unclear if he is still there.

First introduced in 2015, the Yeezy shoes are produced in collaboration with Adidas and rapper West. Over the years, the brand has also evolved into a broader fashion label, producing shirts, jackets, pants, and more.

Yeezy shoes are known to fetch high prices, with Sneaker News reporting that they range between $200 and $585, depending on the model. They also fetch much higher prices on the resale market due to their limited production quantities of up to $1,500, making them an attractive target for criminals.

“Last night, a Uhaul containing 1,100 pairs of new Adidas ‘Yeezy’ shoes was stolen,” the Portland Police Department said. tweeted sunday, alongside a photo of the allegedly stolen sneakers. “Dayshift officers located the uhaul, arrested Rupert Crosse, 26, and recovered the shoes estimated to be worth over $250,000. Great job North Dayshift!”

As of Monday, the case remains under investigation. Members of the public with information relating to the case are asked to contact the Portland Police Department using case reference number 22-74652.

Newsweek contacted the Portland Police Department for comment on this story.

The Yeezy shoes were previously among the items stolen in a mass robbery in December. High-end shoe Undisputed Sole has released surveillance footage showing a gang of thieves raiding their store in Valencia, California, stealing Yeezy Foam Runners alongside many other high-end brands.

Please keep an eye out for Supreme Box, Supreme Merchandise, Essentials, Bape Merchandise, Travis Merchandise, Supreme Skate Deck, Yeezy Foam Runners, Jordan 4 Unions, Off-White Shoes, Lebron Airmax, Jordan and Yeezy Shoes logos and especially [sic] shoes with only the remaining pair,” the store wrote in a statement, according to ABC 7 News.

Another incident involving Yeezys happened even further back in 2017 when a Reddit user accused a FedEx driver of trying to steal his order for special zebra-print shoes. The user further called out Adidas for shipping the order in packaging that did not hide the valuable product branding inside.

“I am happy [sic] I stayed home today but sucks I had to chase him down to stop him from stealing my pair,” the user wrote.