Video: Ultra-rare Koi fish puts up fight against fishnapper
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – A bizarre crime was recently caught on camera in the Twin Cities.
Video shows a man taking an ultra-rare Koi fish out of the water at a Bloomington business, and wrangling it into a truck.
Lisa Greeny says just a few weeks ago, she had a feeling something was off at The Pond Co. after noticing some garbage was out of place.
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"I ordered some cameras online. Got them, we installed them on a Tuesday and then Thursday night at around 10:51 p.m., my coworker and I, we had the info on our phones. He texted me saying 'we have visitors,' and then we kept watching the camera and I said, 'I don't think they're visiting,'" Lisa said.
Lisa and her co-worker Austin Soderlind called police, and they watched in real time as their Koi fish Homer was fishnapped from the pond in front of their shop. The fish fought back.
"Why are you stealing a fish? Like, it's the middle of the night. It's not normal to me [laughs]!" Austin said.
"I honestly don't think he knew what he had. He just looked in the pond and thought he wanted it," Lisa said. "I don't know. I have no idea."
Homer isn't just any Koi fish. Similar to dog breeding, his fish traits make him worth more than $2,500.
"It's just typically to do with the bloodline, and like the curves and the colors. Like a Tancho that's all white might have a perfectly round head on the top, and that round head could be worth tens of thousands of dollars if it's perfect," said The Pond Co. owner Mike Bollinger.
Thanks to the surveillance video, police found Homer just minutes later. He survived being a fish out of water. He's regaining some of his color, but still acting a little coy.
"Oh, it's crazy," Lisa said. "We just wanted our fish back."
Police arrested a 66-year-old Richfield man and a 46-year-old Bloomington woman who was behind the wheel of the truck. Charges are pending against both of them.