PLANTATION, Fla. --
Fire officials in Plantation have arrested two men who they said stole important pieces of fire equipment and sold them to a scrap yard.
Officials said thieves have been stealing a piece of equipment called a bypass assembly unit from outside buildings in the Plantation area. If that part of the outside metal unit is missing, authorities said, it can cause water pressure to be too low or even prevent the water from coming out at all when firefighters are trying to battle a blaze.
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Investigators said a surveillance video shows a man stealing one of the units from outside of a Target store in Plantation. He removes the bypass assembly unit in about 90 seconds.
The man in the surveillance video, investigators said, was Brian Williams, who has been arrested.
Police said another man named Kevin Durken is shown on another surveillance video selling bypass assembly units to a scrap yard in Hollywood.
In just one day, authorities said the thieves took between 15 and 20 units, which cost about $3,000 each to replace. The thieves got about $10 each at a scrap yard, police said.
Investigators said both men presented themselves as plumbers or sprinkler system operators so they would not appear suspicious while selling the units. Investigators eventually began following the suspects in the case regularly.
Williams currently is in jail on a probation violation. He faces six counts of grand theft and six counts of tampering with fire equipment. Durken faces similar charges.
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