(CNN) -- Classic rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were thrilled to get back five guitars stolen less than a week before the start of an international tour.
"I am extremely grateful to the Culver City Police Department for a job well done and touched by the outpouring of good wishes and concern from our fans and friends," Petty said Tuesday on the band's Facebook page.
A 51-year-old private security guard was arrested Monday night in Los Angeles and booked for grand theft, according to Culver City Police Lt. Ron Iizuka.
The instruments were stolen late last week from a soundstage where the Heartbreakers were rehearsing for their tour, which is set to start Wednesday in Broomfield, Colorado.
A $7,500 reward was offered for the return of the guitars, which included a vintage 1967 Rickenbacker, a 1967 Epiphone and a 1965 Gibson.
"Sometimes people make mistakes, but we'd like these back," Petty said on his Twitter account Friday. "No questions asked."
According to police, one of the guitars was sold at a Hollywood pawn shop. Officers were able to identify the person who pawned it, according to Iizuka. Daryl Washington, a Los Angeles resident, was taken into custody and the other four guitars were recovered, authorities said.
Detectives will present the case to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office for filing consideration, police said in a statement.
Both as a solo artist and leader of the Heartbreakers, Petty is one of America's top recording artists, selling more than 57 million albums, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Among his hits are "Refugee," "American Girl," "Free Fallin' " and "The Waiting."
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/17/showbiz/tom-petty-guitars/index.html
