SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A surveillance system caught a man breaking into a College Area Thai Restaurant and stealing hundreds of dollars in cash and tech equipment.
10News met with Chira Svangvitaya, owner of "Sala Thai." She has been serving dishes from her homeland to the San Diego community for almost 30 years. But when she opened the store on Halloween morning, she found her store in shambles.
“I saw all the things all over the floor," Svangvitaya said.
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Her surveillance cameras captured the break-in just before 7 a.m. A man crept in through the back door, ran through the dining area while pulling up his hood, then headed straight to the front counter. He took $400 in cash, five tablets, and a laptop before tiptoeing out the back door.
"He was like a pro," she said. “In and out in less than five minutes.”
While the stolen money was substantial, the absence of the tablets hurt her most.
“I have Uber Eats. Grub Hub, Postmates, Door Dash, Amazon, and Yelp," she said.
She said 30 percent of her sales come solely from deliveries, which means she is losing out on a lot of customers.
But she said there is a silver lining to this. What the thief may not know, is that the tablets' only function is food delivery. The resale value is unsubstantial. They all come with serial numbers, which she hopes the police and delivery companies use to track them and the thief down.
“I just want them [the police] to catch the guy. I don’t want him to do it to other business, you know? It’s painful," Svangvitaya said.
If you recognize the man, call San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
