VALLEY CENTER, Calif. (KGTV) - Surveillance video shows a thief with a specific taste in clothing targeting businesses in North San Diego County.
At Lilac Foods in Valley Center, on the morning after Thanksgiving, some thieves decided to do some after-hours shopping.
“Definitely not their first rodeo,” said store manager Ferreol Herrera.
The video shows just before 6 a.m., a car pulls into the back of the grocery. A man, wearing what appears to be a Nike hoodie, with the words ‘Just Do It’ on the sleeves, gets out. He has gloves on, appears to be holding a crowbar, and heads toward the store's large storage container.
The chain for the lock was discovered broken. Inside the container was heavy equipment, likely not what the thief was looking for. Soon after, the man in the hoodie is seen heading to a neighboring business. There, he’s unable to get through several deadbolts.
“It’s does kind of hit me in a hard way because I do feel like they're invading our house,” said Herrera.
It appears others have been left with the same feeling. Video from the back of the Stagecoach Inn Bar in Riverside County three weeks ago, shows a man wearing what appears to be the same Nike hoodie, approaching the door. A manager says the thief would break open the lock and steal a safe.
Sources tell ABC 10News several other businesses were targeted that same night with a similar M.O.
At Josie's Hideout Saloon along the 76, thieves dragged away an ATM, before taking a sledgehammer to the safes. Several thousand dollars in cash was stolen.
“Definitely hurts small business. The economy is already bad, as it is. Trying to keep your head above water. People taking stuff that's not theirs doesn’t help much,” said Herrera.
Herrera hopes the surveillance videos will help deputies track down the thieves.
“They will keep hurting other businesses, taking money other businesses can't afford to lose,” said Herrera.
A sheriff's spokesman tells ABC 10News, "A sweatshirt worn by one of the suspects is similar to the sweatshirt worn by one of the suspects in the Valley Center attempt burglary, but other things do not match up. So at this time in the ongoing investigation, we cannot conclusively state that the burglaries are connected or are part of a series."
