Vancouver Police announced on September 18 that they had recovered a helmet belonging to the late IndyCar driver Greg Moore that had been stolen from the BC Sports Hall of Fame and arrested a suspect. The incident occurred on September 3rd, when staff noticed that Moore’s racing helmet, which was on display at the BC Sports Hall of Fame at BC Place, was missing.
Moore, a native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, was active on the IndyCar circuit in the late 1990s, winning five races and finishing on the podium 17 times before his death at the age of 24 during a race in California in 1999. The helmet, which Moore used when he won the Rio 400 in Brazil in 1998, was on loan to the Hall of Fame by his family.
Police identified the suspect using security camera footage and found the stolen helmet at an apartment building on Dunlevy Avenue in the city’s Downtown East side. The 39-year-old suspect, who was arrested on September 12, is suspected of theft of property over $5,000 and possession of stolen property. He has not yet been formally charged and is scheduled to appear in court on November 19.
“Greg Moore is a British Columbia icon and inspired us all throughout his athletic career. We are relieved that the suspect has been arrested and that the helmet can now be returned to the BC Sports Hall of Fame,” Sergeant Steve Addison said in a statement.