Deputies are searching for suspected burglars after multiple stores near Spring Valley were robbed early Thursday, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.
Surveillance video captured one of these robberies at Snoice, a dessert shop on Paradise Valley Road, just after midnight.
Two suspects were seen breaking the store’s glass door with a large brick and stealing about $400 in cash from the register, according to Jayrell Ringpis, owner of Snoice.
“I was kind of in shock because it wasn’t the birthday surprise I was hoping for,” Ringpis told NBC 7. “We're just lucky no one was hurt because there's a short amount of time that we're not here.”
Ringpis said a worker arrived at the store at around 3:30 a.m. and discovered the damages.
Deputies said many of the businesses in the area’s strip mall were hit, including Tambayan Filipino BBQ and Grill, Mariscos, KT Donuts, Kababayan Bakery, Tasty China, and El Toro.
“It was crazy because we work so hard to like build this place,” said Justin Miller, owner of Tambayan Filipino BBQ and Grill. “We've only been open seven months. It's kind of hard, you know.”
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Miller told NBC 7 the suspects took the cash register but left behind a television set and iPads.
The reported theft caused Tambayan Filipino BBQ and Grill to remain closed all Thursday.
“It was kind of embarrassing to tell them we got broken into. We can't open, we don't have register, we don't have a register to help them. It was kind of a downer,” Miller said.
Business owners who spoke with NBC 7 all said they are considering upgrading their security systems following the break-ins.
