Burglars cut hole in store wall to steal thousands in running gear

SEATTLE - A brazen burglary happened in a downtown Seattle early Tuesday morning. Police say burglars cut a hole in a store’s wall and stole thousands of dollars in running gear and other items.

“This was done very fast. They pulled the alarm system. They pulled the phone system so this was very professional,” said  Ben Raykovich, owner of Sound Sports.

Raykovich and his wife have owned Sound Sports in Seattle for 22 years and though the store has been burglarized before, they say they’ve never seen anything like this.

The owners of Sound Sports believe that this utility door was left open giving them access to the wall where they used cutters to enter the store.”

“See these racks, they took off the racks and they knew the precise merchandise that was the most expensive.”

Raykovich says not only did the burglars take specific merchandise, they knew where to find cash, took multiple laptop computers, disconnected the phone lines and took the key pad for the alarm system with them.

Does Raykovich think the burglary was an inside job?

“No, not at all. We have very good relationships with our former employees. We’re here most of the time. We’re a small shop. It’s going to be tough to recover, if we will," Raykovich said.

Seattle Police say this type of burglary is uncommon and as they investigate, they’ll look for patterns of similar burglaries, examine any forensic evidence, and even search social media for anyone trying to sell the stolen items.

In the meantime, Raykovich says the store will remain closed until they at least get their phone system back in service and assess the total financial loss. Raykocivh has also set up a Go Fund Me account for anyone who'd like to help the store reopen.

Investigators say they have no leads on the burglary right now. If anyone has any information about this case, they can contact the Seattle Police Department. Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for tips that lead to an arrest. Submit the information at http://www.P3Tips.com or use the P3 Tips App that you can download to your phone for free. You can also call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). It is anonymous.