Two California comic book businesses have accused embattled actor Ray Buffer of snatching comics worth hundreds of dollars, and surveillance video from both locations seems to capture the incident.
The allegations were initially made this week by Southern California Comics, which published a video showing the bearded guy identified as Buffer slipping many volumes inside his shirt on September 29.
The retailer filed a police complaint with SDPD after claiming in a critical post the next day that the items were more than $600.
Since then, employees have given police the proof, including more video they claim shows Buffer holding the books.
The 53-year-old actor Buffer, who in the early 2000s had appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm and ER, has since been reduced to a career in commercials and contract work at nearby amusement parks, according to the retailer, is a repeat offender.
The retailer shared video of the fallen celebrity being caught in the act by a staff member in a related incident at a LA comic shop the week before in addition to the film of Buffer’s alleged boost from the previous week.
The proprietor of Metropolis Comics in Bellflower seems to have caught Buffer doing the same maneuver on camera and confronts him in the video, pointing him that it was being recorded.
The proprietor of the store threatened to call the police, so the depressed actor—who plays a tiny role in the newly released Brad Pitt movie Bullet Train—put the comics back and left.
In addition to his struggling acting career, Buffer now works as a contract Santa and does freelance graphic design. He has subsequently erased all of his social media profiles and alleges that the business owners are harassing him.
Den Diego Comics employees dubbed the original image from last Friday, which featured Buffer stealing while sporting a bright green polo and long gray bears, a “PSA.”
Staffers hadn’t yet identified the husky offender as Long Beach resident Buffer at that moment.
“This man snuck a stack of Golden Age comics under his shirt and stole from us yesterday. If you know anything about him, do let us know. The comic community is grateful. Staff members wrote, requesting any potential clues in identifying the thief.
Later that day, they would accuse Buffer of the offense and ask fans of the store’s Facebook page to get in touch with the actor, who has spent the previous 20 years mostly acting in regional musical theater shows and sing-along ads where he portrays Santa Claus.
After admitting that the books taken by Buffer were worth more than $600, the post continued to claim that it had been the subject of repeated attacks by shoplifters since the outbreak and had been forced to hire a security guard to make up for their losses.
Folks, we have no choice except to modify the responsibility of the shop,’ the post’s opening line said. We have dealt with a burglary attempt, a pricey burglary, and frequent stealing, as the majority of you are aware.
Despite all of our security measures, shoplifting still occurs. We want off the “victim train” if this is a continuing instance of the widespread crime and stealing that seems to have started with the epidemic.
When older back-issues, the most sensitive section of the shop, is filled by consumers, we now have to deploy a guard there, the message said.
Simply put, we cannot afford to not.
To inform my consumers of what we must do during these trying times for companies, I am making this message.
Social network postings that criticize our firm approach to securing our goods are quite rare.
“This post is my courteous effort to reach out to those potential consumers who reply hostilely and seem to reject the regular news items that convey the national narrative of the strain on companies.”
They continued by saying that they had “recognized” Buffer as the individual who “shoved comics up his shirt yesterday.” Store owners commented, “Visit him at his FB page,” linked to Buffer’s then-active profile.
Staff members said in another post: “Our camera caught him taking comics by hiding them under his shirt.” After learning about the crime, we checked the security footage till we came across this. We are providing the police with all the information.
Later, the retailer reposted the actor’s Facebook page and private email. In the article, which was uploaded on Thursday, the shop employee also claimed to have spoken with Buffer, who has denied stealing the books and has even gone so far as to claim that the store is harassing him.
The caustic update from the business said, “We gave him the alternative of either returning our property (we know what he stole since an earlier section of the video shows him holding the books) or we give it over to the authorities.”
He accused us of pestering him in an email, we were told. Yes, we do.
The retailer issued a second post the next day, on Friday, claiming that Buffer was to blame for a theft incident that occurred precisely one week before to the San Diego strike at a comic shop in Los Angeles, more than 100 miles to the south.
The alleged incident was also captured on video, which shows a guy who like Buffer stuffing something else into his underwear while facing away from the store’s owner, who is sat at her desk in the background.
Unbeknownst to Buffer, the lady was aware of the thief’s activities and was reportedly monitoring him through a surveillance feed from her PC owing to the strategically placed camera.
After Buffer hides the book, the lady stands up and confronts him, telling him that despite his repeated denials, the camera witnessed everything.
In the Los Angeles tape, the lady first states, “I witnessed that,” before politely requesting the book back. Please return my book. Do you have your pants stuffed?
The claim is refuted by the actor until she calls attention to the camera that is immediately above him. The employee explains, “I have a camera on each angle,” to Buffer, who keeps claiming he’s innocent.
When the lady goes to apparently contact the police, Buffer makes an effort to hide the stolen items beneath his shirt and place them in a display bin when he thinks the staff member isn’t looking.
He is once again captured on video when she calls attention to him.
The lady in the video asks the customer to leave the business immediately. It’s unclear whether the shop, like San Diego Comics, pursued the issue further in court.
On Sunday, DailyMail.com emailed Buffer to inquire more about the claims, but received no response right away.
In addition to the most recent Pitt movie, which is one of the few Hollywood roles the actor has had in the last 10 years, Buffer has also recently worked in a number of unusual theater productions and acting roles, such as musical theater and advertisements that often include singing.
In a national commercial for Capital One and Walmart in 2019, he made an appearance as a caroler for around three seconds.
Since then, he has performed voice acting work for Yankee Candle, for which the white-bearded actor also starred in a commercial as Santa, and for The American Red Cross.
Following failing to break through after a brief appearance on Curb’s fourth season 18 years ago, Buffer seems to have gotten typecast as Santa in his latter years.
Buffer recently said in an interview that he has begun making personal appearances as Santa, sometimes sporting his own facial hair, at parades now that he is older.
Police are presently looking into the incident in San Diego.