Acclaimed actor Ray Buffer has been accused of stealing comic books worth of $600
The troubled actor Ray Buffer has been accused of shoplifting hundreds of dollars’ worth of comics from two stores in California, and security footage from both locations appears to show the alleged theft.
Southern California Comics in San Diego was the first to make the claims after video of him stuffing his shirt with a bunch of books on September 29 was posted online last week.
After the shop owner claimed the artifacts were worth more than $600 in a critical post the next day, he or she contacted SDPD to file a report.
Employees have since provided authorities with evidence, including footage showing what they say is Buffer holding the books.
The company claims that 53-year-old actor Buffer, who appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm and ER in the early 2000s but now works exclusively in commercials and for amusement parks in the area, is a repeat offender.
In addition to the video of Buffer’s supposed boost from the week before, the store also posted footage of the downed celebrity being caught in the act by a staff member at a Los Angeles comic shop in a similar occurrence.
After apparently witnessing Buffer do the similar move at Metropolis Comics in Bellflower, the store’s owner confronts Buffer in the video, pointing out that he was on camera.
The shopkeeper threatened to call the police, so the downcast actor reshelved the comics and left. The actor is featured in a small role in the new Brad Pitt film, Bullet Train.
Buffer is a contract Santa and a freelance graphic designer in addition to his acting career, which is also faltering. Following this, he has deleted all of his social media accounts and is now claiming that the store’s proprietors are harassing him.
After Buffer was caught shoplifting last Friday while wearing a neon green polo and long gray bears, the staff at Southern California Comics decided to label the initial post as a public service notice (PSA) (public service announcement).
The staff had not yet determined that the perpetrator was Long Beach native Buffer.
In the afternoon, they posted to the store’s Facebook page, accusing Buffer of the crime and pleading with his Facebook fans to help them get in touch with the actor, who for the past two decades has primarily appeared in regional musical theater productions and sing-along ads where he portrays Santa Claus.
It was also stated in the report that the bookstore has been a frequent target of shoplifters ever since the outbreak, and that they had to hire a security guard to make up for their losses after discovering the value of the books Buffer had swiped was over $600.