Police say man posed for sketch, then robbed artist – but left portrait behind

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A man who asked to have a caricature of himself drawn stole the artist’s money, according to police officials who shared the drawing of the alleged thief Tuesday, Dec. 17.

The incident occurred about 11:50 p.m. Dec. 5 during the Festival of Lights event in downtown Riverside, California.

The man asked the victim for a portrait of himself, and once the victim was finished, the subject grabbed the victim’s money bag and ran away, leaving the sketch behind, police said.

The bag contained about $500 in cash.

“Do you recognize this caricature? And no, we are not kidding,” police said in a Facebook post sharing the drawing. “This caricature is of the suspect, but of course, has exaggerated characteristics and features.”

The man was described as being in his early 20s, about 5'1" tall, with an average build, black hair, and a mustache. He was last seen wearing a blue and red jacket, white undershirt, black pants, and a red hat.

Anyone with information about the man can contact Jeff Putnam at 951-826-2054 or jputnam@riversideca.gov.