West side businesses fed up with smash-and-grabs
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Police are investigating a string of attempted smash-and-grab burglaries from overnight on the west side.
Employees from at least three businesses near Rockville Road and South Lynhurst Drive showed up Friday morning and found broken windows.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said whoever broke into Royal Liquors, 15 Beachway Drive, stole liquor and beer. Officers said security video shows four people breaking in.
Two doors down at Reynoso Records, a record store at 11 Beachway Drive, the suspects could not break through the glass but damaged the door.
Oskar Ramirez works at a grocery in the same strip mall.
“It’s something that’s been going on for a couple months now,” Ramirez said.
According to Ramirez, no one hit the grocery overnight, but earlier this month someone cracked the glass on their front door.
“It is pretty frustrating because I have to come in and you find out, it’s a mess to start with,” Ramirez said. “Then, you have to figure out a way to fix it.”
Ramirez shared security video from early December showing three people outside the store. The trio took off running when a car drove by and one of them dropped what appeared to be a cement block.
According to Ramirez, someone broke in the last month and stole a safe.
Ivonne Davalos is a cashier at the store.
“It is scary. My mom has actually told me to be careful because they’ve actually broke in when the store was open. So, luckily, I wasn’t here but that has happened and it is really scary,” Davalos said.
IMPD said they are investigating how or if the break-ins are connected. They suspect teenagers could be behind the Friday morning crimes.
“We have to keep adding more and more security to our business, but we are kind of running out of ideas on what to do to keep this from happening,” Ramirez said.
Employees at a nearby Subway restaurant, 5389 Rockville Road, also showed up and found a broken window.
The Subway manager said it was the third time in two months someone had broken his windows. He said the burglar stole money the last two times, so the manager moved the money to a safer spot. Nothing was stolen Friday morning at the Subway.
