Actor Accused of Theft, Caught on Camera

A San Diego comic book store is accusing actor Ray Duffer of stealing comics under the watchful eye of their security cameras. Southern California Comics shared security camera footage with TMZ, allegedly showing Duffer stuffing comics under his shirt. A Los Angeles comics store owner told TMZ Duffer allegedly tried the same stunt there but he was stopped before he could leave with the comics under his shirt.

The Southern California Comics owners told TMZ Duffer stole about $600 worth of comic books. They also filed a police report with the San Diego Police Department and will hand over evidence to police, including the security footage. Police said they took a report for petty theft and are investigating.

After the store's owners began calling out Duffer on social media, the actor deleted all of his public accounts. In an Oct. 5 Facebook post, the owners said they contacted Duffer directly. "We offered him the choice of either returning our property (we know what he took because an earlier part of the video has him holding the books) or we turn it over to the law," the post reads. "He emailed us and claimed we are harassing him. Yes, we are."

The owners also published security camera footage from Metropolis Comics in Los Angeles. The footage allegedly shows Duffer trying to do the same thing he did in San Diego. However, the Los Angeles store's employee confronted Duffer, who tried to put the comics back as the owner threatened to call the police. Duffer did not respond to TMZ to comment on the allegations.

Duffer has been acting since the early 1990s, mostly in small television and movie roles. He has had bit parts in Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story, The Invisible Plot, Everything's Fine, ER, The West Wing, Curb Your Enthusiasm, JAG, Hulk, and Malcolm in the Middle. Duffer has an uncredited role as a Russian thug in the Brad Pitt movie Bullett Train, which hit theaters this summer.

Rare comic books have been going for millions of dollars at auction lately. In September, a copy of Action Comics #1 from 1938 sold for $3.4 million on Goldin, just months after it sold for $3.4 million at Heritage Auctions, reports Artnet. In January, a copy of Superman #1 from 1939 became the most expensive comic ever sold when it went for $5.3 million in a private sale.