A woman in running gear with tattoos was caught on surveillance footage ripping a Spencer Pratt mayoral campaign sign from the front yard of a Los Angeles home.
The sign snatching unfolded in Studio City, where a 65-year-old resident told police he reviewed home security footage on Wednesday afternoon and saw two 'female teens or young adults' pull the sign from his property and walk away with it.
'I uploaded a still and I have clearer video at home,' the resident wrote in the report. 'I do not recognize these persons, they do not live on my street and I have never seen them in the area before.'
Video later shared online by journalist Daniel Guss appeared to show the woman dressed in athletic clothing calmly approaching the driveway before sliding the sign under her arm and uprooting it before carrying it off as another woman followed behind.
The incident comes as Pratt, the former reality TV star turned unlikely political contender, continues climbing in the polls against embattled incumbent Karen Bass and progressive councilmember Nithya Raman in a race that has become increasingly bitter ahead of the June 2 primary.
The footage of the sign stealing saw social media brand the suspect a 'Pilfering Karen' as amateur internet detectives began attempting to identify her from screenshots and enhanced images.
'Okay internet!' Guss wrote on X while posting the footage. 'Sleuth away!'
In a separate Substack post, Guss described the woman as having 'what appears to be a lengthy tattoo on the left arm,' a detail that quickly became central to online efforts to track her down.
Video shared online appeared to show a woman in athletic clothing tucking a Spencer Pratt campaign sign under her arm before pulling it from the ground
A Studio City homeowner told police he discovered the theft after reviewing surveillance footage from his property on Wednesday afternoon
The woman seen in the footage appeared to have a large tattoo running down her left arm, a detail highlighted by online sleuths trying to identify her
'I live in this area. I'll keep an eye out,' one commenter responded.
'Send the footage to the Pratt campaign. They can use it in a commercial,' another person wrote.
Guss noted how private citizens are generally not permitted to remove campaign signs themselves even if they believe the signs violate local placement rules.
'Even if the signs had been on public property in a restricted right-of-way in violation of local municipal codes, they can only be removed by authorized city or county officials, not by private citizens,' he explained.
Pratt's chaotic and unconventional run for mayor has transformed him into a serious political disruptor capable of rattling Los Angeles' political establishment.
An Emerson College poll released earlier this month showed Bass leading the crowded field with 30 percent support, while Pratt surged into second place with 22 percent.
Raman followed close behind at 19 percent, raising the possibility that the race could head toward a November runoff if no candidate secures an outright majority.
Pratt has leaned heavily into portraying Los Angeles as a city spiraling into disorder, crime and dysfunction - themes he has repeatedly tied to his own personal experiences.
Pratt, whose chaotic and unconventional run for mayor has transformed him from a reality-TV villain punchline into a serious political disruptor capable of rattling Los Angeles' political establishment
Footage from another home in the area also saw the woman ripping signs out of the ground
She was then caught on camera dumping it into the bin
In a recent interview with CNN's Elex Michaelson, Pratt revealed he registered as a Republican in 2020 largely because of California's gun laws and what he described as years of frightening death threats during the height of his reality television fame.
'You want to break some news here?' Pratt said during the interview. 'When I was a hated reality star I got so many death threats. I had so much security and police. And what did they tell me to do?'
'Get a gun,' Pratt recalled. 'This is real. I know people don't like guns, but LA is dangerous if you're hated. So, I got a gun. My wife got a gun.'
Pratt said he and his wife, Heidi Montag, eventually obtained concealed carry permits in California after completing firearms training and meeting local permit requirements.
Spencer Pratt has been living in a trailer after fire burnt his home to the ground. He is pictured with wife Heidi Montag
Pratt, was captured in photos as he watched the rapidly advancing fire move toward his $2.5million Palisades home last year
Pratt has used his wildfire loss as a central theme in his mayoral campaign. In a campaign ad, Pratt criticized conditions in Los Angeles including homelessness and infrastructure issues
The devastating Pacific Palisades fire destroyed 7,000 homes and businesses in what was one of LA's most exclusive suburbs, killing 12 people and displacing nearly 100,000 residents
The former Hills star has also repeatedly blasted city leadership over public safety, homelessness and the devastating Palisades Fire that destroyed his $2.5 million home last year.
He has used the catastrophe to frame his campaign as a rebellion against what he calls failed political leadership.
Neither Bass nor Raman appeared to publicly comment on the incident Thursday, and authorities have not announced any arrests connected to the alleged theft.