NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A North Miami Beach restaurant owner is reeling after a burglar smashed his way into his business and took off with the cash register, and police believe this wasn’t the first time the crook pulled off something like this.
Donovan Thompson, the owner of Kingston Delight, has had a thriving business for 24 years, but around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, he said, someone decided to grab a piece of his success.
“You work so hard, and people come along and do something drastic like this,” he said.
Surveillance video shows the subject smashing a window at the restaurant, located at 1340 NE 163rd St.
It took the man 15 seconds after he smashed the window to grab the cash register and scurry back out the door. The footahge shows receipt tape rolls scattering across the floor as he made his escape.
“When I saw the video, I was totally shocked,” said Thompson. “He had a crowbar in his hand which he busted the window with, and he just ran in, and the guy tripped coming out with the cash register.”
Thompson said North Miami Police detectives told him there have been other victims.
“The officers they told me that he did — that’s yesterday morning — he robbed three other stores the same kind of way,” he said.
Surveillance video from inside JP’s Bagel Place, located along the 2600 block of Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, shows a man getting in and out of the business in seconds, Thursday night. He is seen dropping the register before he could get away with it.
Hollywood Police said the subject, seen sporting a beard and tattoos on his arms, was responsible for at least three burglaries that same night.
Whoever was responsible, Thompson said, he wants the man caught.
The business owner said the crook didn’t get away with a lot of money, but the visit was still a costly one.
“It’s gonna cost me an arm and a leg to replace the door, the register and all the stuff that’s missing behind the counter,” said Thompson. “Thank God no one got hurt. He’s done more to the establishment than what he took.”
If you have any information on either of these burglaries, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
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