A yard equipment store in Riverside County fell victim to a smash-and-grab robbery that resulted in roughly $40,000 in property damages and stolen goods.
Stores in Escondido, San Marcos and Poway also became targets last week, the San Diego Sheriff's Department (SDSO) said.
In Poway, Western Mower and Engine has been broken into three times, the most recent incident following Thanksgiving Day, owner Marty Clung told NBC 7.
McClung says he moved the inventory from the front window of his store to the repair shop to avoid been targeted by thieves. But the two suspects discovered the tools in less than two hours after breaking through three layers of security, taking off with 15 chainsaws and hedge trimmers.
“One of the more expensive chainsaws they stole from me was a thousand dollars,” McClung said.
He added: “[They're] going to get rid of the equipment. It is in high demand and some of it can be high dollar."
McClung told NBC 7 that he's heard from his regional sale representative, 21 tool shops from San Diego to Santa Monica have suffered a similar fate.
Local
“We're getting multiple shops broken into on the same day. That's very odd, we never had that before,” he said.
In Moreno valley, video surveillance from inside Empire Mowers shows the moment a truck slammed into the front of the building in reverse, blowing through its glass and steel security bars.
After busting through the store’s facade, a man and a woman headed straight for the high-end chain saws and trimmers and attempted to cut the security cable that locked them to the shelf. While the man worked on the security cable, the woman made the rounds, grabbing what appeared to be more chainsaws and other lawn and hedge trimming tools.
Once the man successfully cut the cable, he can be seen carrying several weed trimmers and pole saws toward the truck. He had so many in his arms at one point that he was forced to drop them as he passed through a narrow path in the wreckage.
The woman was right on his heels carrying an engine with an estimated $450 value she eventually dropped on the ground.
“It’s like they just didn’t care that they were destroying the equipment that they were stealing," the shop owner said.
The owner estimates that the tandem made out with around $10,000 worth of equipment. The tools and the damage to his store, he says, are covered by his insurance.
Although the thieves got to a good portion of valuable tools, the owner says that their smash and grab tactic may have prevented them from making it out with even more.
“I think what saved us even more is when those bars came down, it pinned all the large machines against the corner and they weren’t able to pull them out,” he said.
According to the owner, outside surveillance cameras show the thieves leaving a trail of products on the ground as they drove way and then reversing to pick up the mess.
McClung says he suffered $55,000 in losses and will be spending $7,000 for new lights, security camera and steel bar barricades for his shop.
