Thieves kept stealing from his store. Now SLO shop owner’s chase videos go viral (2025)

Thrifty Beaches owner Adam Kemp expected to deal with theft when he opened his 26,350-square-foot store in downtown San Luis Obispo last year — but he didn’t realize it would make his business go viral on Instagram.

During a recent interview, Kemp told The Tribune he first decided to film and chase shoplifters on his onewheel, an electric skateboard with one large wheel in the center, because he wanted to protect his business.

He estimated his store has experienced shoplifting at least once per week in the past two months, with some people taking high-ticket items like Gucci bags worth more than $1,000 and expensive custom basketball shoes.

The issues even led him to drop out of Cal Poly — where he was studying for a master’s degree in business and was on the wrestling team — to be at the store full-time to help manage theft.

“It’s been a big dream of mine, so I feel like I have to protect it at all costs,” he said. “It was a sacrifice, but it was a necessary sacrifice to keep this going.”

At first, Kemp said he was hesitant to post the videos of him chasing shoplifters online.

He wasn’t sure what the reactions from the public would be like — maybe some people would tell him he should just let people keep the items because they are desperate.

“But then it kept happening, so I was like, ‘You know what? F--k it. Sorry, I’m gonna post it,’” he said.

Each video — eight since Feb. 11 — have tens of thousands of views, with two videos reaching more than 300,000 views.

And so far, the videos seem to be helping.

According to Kemp, the videos have received a lot of support online from members of the public and other business owners who want shoplifters to be held accountable. He also said that the videos have appeared to deter theft in the store.

“I think a lot of thieves are actually scared to get posted, more so than scared, being afraid to go to jail,” he said.

Though he wouldn’t necessarily recommend other business owners chase people on a onewheel — it can come with safety risks — Kemp added that he has always followed his gut to be safe while trying to retrieve his stolen property.

“You have to feel out the situation,” he said. “Not everyone should go run after someone that steals or skate after them or anything like that. I think that’s a terrible idea. But I do think that if you have cameras and they catch someone stealing, post it. Humiliate the person.

“That’s my opinion, because people shouldn’t just be able to steal and then go back to work the next day like nothing happened.”

Kemp added that the store has also installed security cameras, hired a security guard and employs secret shoppers dressed in plain clothes to monitor the giant space and report any wrongdoing.

Though the store had seen a decline in thefts at the time The Tribune spoke with Kemp on Thursday, Kemp posted a video on Friday and another video on Saturday reporting additional thefts.

In the Saturday video, the suspect said he saw Kemp’s Instagram videos — but still ran out of the store wearing stolen jeans.

“I don’t want my whole IG to become a theft blog, but if you steal your video will live on this page,” Kemp wrote in the post caption. “This was creative thievery.”

Theft to be taken more seriously with changes under Prop 36, DA says

Kemp said the police have been quicker to respond to the store as thefts have increased, and he appreciated the responding officers for doing their best to stop the thief and get back stolen items.

Since February, there have been seven calls for police response and four arrests related to shoplifting at Thrifty Beaches, San Luis Obispo Police Department spokesperson Christine Wallace told The Tribune.

San Luis Obispo Police Department Sgt. Tim Koznek told The Tribune he was aware of the theft reports at Thrifty Beaches and advised business owners to call the police non-emergency line to report theft.

He added that video and photos, as well as good descriptions of the suspects, can help police with their investigation.

He said that the amount of theft reported in downtown San Luis Obispo is relatively the same as this time last year.

While theft has remained relatively stable in downtown San Luis Obispo, thieves can be punished more severely under recent changes in California law.

Prop 36, which was passed by voters in the November election, now adds harsher punishments for repeat offenders, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow told The Tribune.

Under the law, one could now be charged with felony theft if one of three things are true, Dow said: If the the stolen goods equate to $950 or more, if the person has at least two prior convictions of misdemeanor theft or if the value of multiple thefts from the same or multiple victims can add up to $950 or greater.

“Because of that change, law enforcement now is more likely to respond and treat a misdemeanor theft more seriously than they did before,” Dow said.

He added that he encourages business owners to report every theft they experience, adding that before businesses may have not reported because they thought it may not be worth the effort.

“We’re taking it more seriously because of the increase in theft all across the state,” Dow said. “And then people responded by giving us this new tool.”

If theft does occur, Dow encouraged business owners to call law enforcement immediately to take a report and respond to the situation.

He also encouraged business owners to stay safe and avoid taking the laws into their own hands.

“I don’t want to discourage people from doing reasonable things, but I would want to caution people from becoming street police or trying to do things because nobody knows how dangerous some thief may be,” he said.

He encouraged business owners to have security systems that capture clear photos and video, and to also keep security footage as long as they reasonably can. He also said business owners should ensure they know how to access the system and confirm the metadata is up to date. Hiring security guards or displaying signage to deter theft can also be helpful, he said.

As of April 4, the District Attorney’s Office has filed 33 theft cases under the new Prop 36 guidelines, Dow said, with 13 of those ending with convictions.

Dow added that his office has added resources for business owners, including signs that can be posted in store windows to deter theft, to the county website at slocounty.ca.gov/departments/district-attorney/prop-36-anti-theft-alliance.