WASHINGTON — Armin Zeyafatzadeh of California took a trip to Washington, D.C. to retrieve his passport on July 30. He booked a two-night stay at the Residence Inn Courtyard by Marriott hotel. His plan was to take a quick trip to handle business and then head back home.
But those plans were thwarted when he says he was robbed of his $24,000 Rolex watch while sound asleep in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel on L St. in NW.
Zeyafatzadeh arrived at the hotel around 1 a.m., hours before his booking. Unfortunately, the hotel was unable to accommodate an early check-in. So he settled down in the lobby to wait until noon. There weren't many people moving around the area at that time of the morning. However, there was another man sitting close by, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, shorts and a ball cap.
"I hadn't slept in over 48 hours," said Zeyafatzadeh. "So I fell asleep in the lobby."
By 3 a.m. the traveler had drifted soundly into a deep slumber with his head tilted back and mouth wide open. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched by the man sitting close by. Thirty minutes later, the hotel security camera caught the suspected stealthy thief get up from his seat and inch closer to the now sleeping and inattentive Zeyafatzadeh.
The suspect spots the exposed watch. Edging closer, he touches Zeyafatzadeh's wrist to get a better look.
Still, Zeyafatzadeh's never awakens.
The suspect then looks around to see if anyone is watching and then moves in for the steal. He then uses both hands to lift Zeyafatzadeh's wrist and unbuckle the watch off before making a hasty exit.
Zeyafatzadeh finally wakes up and noticed something was terribly wrong. His luxury watch, which he has worn every day for the last two years, was missing.
He says he panicked and alerted the hotel staff. A staff member helped him look through security footage. And there he saw himself, limp and unaware while the suspected thief took what he wanted like a kid at the candy store.
Full Security Cam Footage:
Zeyafatzadeh filed a report with D.C. Police. The man seen on video taking out the watch was staying at the same hotel. But by the time the watch was reported stolen he was long gone. Authorities checked the suspect's room but the Rolex was nowhere to be found according to the police report.
"I don't want something like this to happen again, it hurt a lot," said Zeyafatzadeh. "I realized it's not even worth it."
Zeyafatzadeh filed an insurance claim with the hotel but he says no one has yet to get back to him.
WUSA9 confirmed with multiple employees of the hotel that they were aware of this reported incident. But when WUSA9 contacted the hotel manager for an interview several times, the request went unanswered.
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