Police Recover Stolen Guitars Belonging To Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

CULVER CITY (CBS) — Culver City police say they have recovered five stolen guitars belonging to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and have made an arrest in the case.

"If you take a look at these guitars, each and every one of them has been responsible for creating one of his greatest hits in the last 30 years so there's a lot of emotional attachment to these guitars and we couldn't be more pleased that we were able to get them back to Mr. Petty," said Chief Don Pedersen of the Culver City Police Department at a news conference Tuesday.

On Thursday, four of the five guitars were stolen from his soundstage in Culver City. A day later, another one was reported missing.

But the investigation didn't last long.

Police say they've recovered the guitars and arrested the alleged thief, identified as 51-year-old Daryl Washington.

He was arrested after authorities say one of Petty's guitars sold at a Hollywood pawn shop was recognized, according to KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta.

According to authorities, Washington works as a security guard at Culver Studios where Petty and The Heartbreakers had been rehearsing for their upcoming U.S. tour.

Petty issued the following statement through his publicist:

"I'm extremely grateful to the Culver City Police Department for a job well done and touched by the outpouring of good wishes and concern from our fans and friends."

The band offered a no-questions-asked $7,500 reward for information leading to the return of the guitars.

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