Brazen burglary captured on surveillance video at community grocery store
Suspect rams vehicle into community grocery store in White Center
The suspect stole a bunch of items and left the owners with thousands of dollars in damage.
WHITE CENTER, Wash. - A brazen burglary was caught on surveillance video in White Center.
The incident happened at Grocery Plus just before 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Sergeant Tim Meyer said they’ve seen burglars use a rock to break into a business, but this suspect took it to the next level by driving a stolen minivan into the store.
The suspect then used a bag to steal a bunch of items from behind the counter, including cigarettes and lottery tickets, according to the family-owned business.
"My brother he’s a very hard worker," said Sokha Rith, the owner’s sister. "They don’t know how much we are struggling and people can just come in and feel that it’s okay for them to do this."
Rith said her brother owns and runs Grocery Plus with his wife. The couple didn’t get any sleep after the alarms were triggered, and instead spent the entire night inside the store guarding it from further burglaries.
"It’s frustrating because this is a small family business, you know, my brother’s not making much and we’re already struggling as is during the pandemic," said Rith.
Deputies arrived to the store just five minutes after the alarms went off, but the suspect was already gone.
There have been some developments in the case. The stolen vehicle, a 1993 Dodge Town and Country van, was recovered by the Seattle Police Department.
The vehicle was impounded and will be processed for fingerprints.
This burglary comes less than two weeks after another incident. Surveillance video from February 9 shows a man trying to walk out of the store with stolen goods. The owner tries to fight back, and there’s a short scuffle, before the man reveals a cleaver knife and starts threatening the owner. The incident was reported law enforcement, but the owners decided not to pursue charges, according to the sheriff’s office.
"I think about that every day, when my brother and his wife come home around 9-10 o’clock and you’re just wondering, are they doing okay? That’s always in the back of our family’s mind. I just hope that they’re safe," said Rith.
Deputies are hoping to catch the latest burglary suspect and make an arrest soon.
The suspect could face a number of charges including commercial burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle.