Someone stole unreleased Beyoncé music from a car in Atlanta. What to know about the investigation

San Francisco Chronicle​

4 days ago

A choreographer and a dancer traveling with Beyoncé for her concerts in Atlanta left their rental car in a parking garage for an hour while grabbing a bite, then returned to find a broken window and both of their suitcases stolen.
They lost more than just clothing, sunglasses and headphones. According to an Atlanta police report, the thief also made off with thumb drives containing the singer's 'unreleased music.' Police say they have identified a suspect, but they hadn't announced any arrests as of Tuesday.
Here's what we know about Beyoncé's stolen music.
The break-in and robbery
The theft was reported July 8, which was two days before Beyoncé kicked off four nights of concerts at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of tour of the U.S. and Europe in support of her Grammy-winning album, 'Cowboy Carter,'
Beyoncé's choreographer, Christopher Grant, and dancer Diandre Blue called police after dining at a restaurant at a retail complex a few miles (kilometers) east of the downtown Atlanta stadium.
They said their rented Jeep Wagoneer had been broken into while parked in a nearby garage. They had left it for about an hour after stopping to eat shortly after 8 p.m.
Among the things that were stolen were two suitcases, a pair of sunglasses, Apple headphones, two Apple laptops and five thumb drives, according to the police report.
'They have my computers and it's really, really important information in there," one of the men told a 911 operator in a recording released by police. "I work with, um, someone who's, like, of a high status, and I really need my computer and everything.'
Grant told officers at the scene that he and Blue work for Beyoncé and that he had been "carrying some personal sensitive information for the musician.'
The police report said the thumb drives contained 'watermarked music, unreleased music, footage plans for the show, and past and future set list(s)."
A representative for Beyonce' did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Police zero in on a suspect
The 911 caller, who isn't identified on the released recording, noted that one of the stolen laptops had tracking software enabled. The police report says officers canvassed an area by following signals from the laptop and the stolen headphones.
Although it's unclear what evidence following the tracking signals yielded, the police report lists a red 2025 Hyundai Elantra as a possible suspect vehicle. It also says an officer inspecting Grant and Blue's rented Jeep was able to retrieve 'two very light' fingerprints.
The police report also mentioned that cameras 'captured the incident' at the garage.
Car break-ins are common in Atlanta
As thousands of Atlanta residents and visitors learn every year, thieves commonly target parked cars with luggage and other potential valuables left in sight.
There were 7,195 thefts from vehicles reported to Atlanta police in 2024, and 3,185 more have been reported since January. Police recorded 105 thefts from cars during the week before Beyonce's unreleased music was reported stolen.