PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - A group of burglars made a smashing entrance at a cellphone store in Plantation and got away with thousands of dollars in cash and merchandise, early Sunday morning.
Workers at the MetroPCS store along the 11900 block of West Sunrise Boulevard spent part of their Sunday cleaning up broken glass and debris from the perpetrators’ unwelcome visit.
According to store owner Bertha Velázquez, five subjects targeted her business at around 3:30 a.m.
Surveillance video shows the men looking into the business from the outside. “They were looking through the windows and see if they could get in and they threw, like, a piece of concrete,” said Velázquez. “It didn’t break, and then they threw a bigger one.”
The larger piece of concrete shattered the store’s front glass. The thieves are then seen rushing into the business.
Once inside, the men quickly got to work. “They had like a job, each of them. One went for the live display, which we had 11 stolen around there, and the other ones were going for the cash registers,” said Velázquez.
Two of the subjects are seen quickly running to the front of the store to grab the registers, while the others are seen breaking display cases to take phones, all while the alarms were going off.
The group spent several minutes inside the business before they fled with nearly $10,000 worth of cash and merchandise, according to Velázquez.
“I came in with my husband at 3:44 [a.m.], and we found the place smashed down,” said Velázquez. “They stole the display phones, everything.”
The store owner believes these men are no amateurs. “The guys were smart. They were wearing hoodies and a baseball cap, and they were covering their faces, they had gloves, so I’m pretty sure this was not their first rodeo,” said Velázquez.
This isn’t the first time the store was hit by burglars. Last August, in the middle of the day, two crooks were captured on surveillance video running inside and grabbing phones before quickly running out.
“We actually put up more security cameras and stuff like that, but I don’t think you can stop them,” said Velázquez.
While police hope to use the surveillance video to help track down the group, the store owner hopes they’re stopped before they strike again. “It’s just getting in a habit,” said Velázquez. “I think we have to stop it, to find out what is going on, so nobody else gets affected.”
If you have any information on this burglary, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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