One of a string (no pun intended) of bizarre stories about the often fraud-filled world of stringed instrument dealing. Apparently violinist Hokai Tang was taking violins and bows from sellers on a consignment basis, but ran off with the instruments and failed to pay the sellers their proceeds.
Read the whole enchilada here.
My favorite bit comes at the end, when the suspect is arrested in Beall Concert Hall at a University of Oregon Symphony concert, and the police wait until the end of the concert to cuff the guy:
Officers staked out a Nov. 28 University Symphony Orchestra concert and arrested Tang when the performance ended. Tang was escorted backstage, where he handed his violin to a colleague and was handcuffed, White said.
“We didn’t want to ruin the show,” White said. “It was actually a really good concert.”