LEMON GROVE, Calif. (KGTV) - Surveillance video shows a pair of thieves on bikes in Lemon Grove, slowly emptying out a small business of more than $50,000 in tools.
“This whole rack was full. Every corded and cordless tool is gone,” said Tim Valine.
For Valine, the sight of the shelving he called the ‘tool tower,’ was heartbreaking.
“It wasn’t the best Sunday morning,” said Valine.
Valine owns Tim Valine Construction in Lemon Grove, a three-decade-old business focused on HOA projects.
Early Sunday morning, surveillance video shows the tools of his trade disappearing from his garage storage unit, next to his office.
“We think they shoved a pry bar under the handle of the garage door,” said Valine.
After the garage is opened, motion-activated cameras captured two men on bikes, cleaning it out.
“Between about 1:30 in the morning and 6 a.m., they would take away load after load after load,” said Valine.
In the video, the men appear to use the business' rolling cart for the heavier items, from jackhammers to pressure washers to a generator.
Hours into the theft, you can see one of the men walking off with a bike, also taken from the garage.
In all, Valine believes the total loss is between $50,000 and $80,000.
“It was definitely a setback. We can’t just go out and do something today. In fact, we had people going out today, but had no tools,” said Valine.
On Monday morning, Valine, his family, and employees fanned out to homeless encampments with a few blocks, in search of the equipment.
At the end of Citrus Street was a shopping cart filled with trash. Next to that shopping cart, the employee found their tool cart, along with a portable bathroom and a vice grip.
Valine hoping these videos will help track down the rest of his equipment.
“I was devastated. We actually need these tools to do business,” said Valine.
Valine is insured, but it's unclear how much insurance will cover.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
