Local macaron shop among businesses repeatedly vandalized in White Center

Businesses repeatedly vandalized in White Center

The owner of Macadons tells Q13 News this weekend's vandalism is now the fifth instance since December.

WHITE CENTER, Wash. - Local businesses in White Center are reaching a breaking point after putting up with months of repeated vandalism at their storefronts.

Donna Chan is the owner of Macadons, a sweets shop that specializes in macarons.

The business has been targeted five times since December. Chan showed Q13 News surveillance footage of the incidents. The crimes have all taken place in the overnight hours, and the videos show a person throwing objects, including a hammer, at the store windows and using a wooden stick to break the glass.

Chan said the latest incident escalated into a burglary this weekend and her storefront display was stolen.

"I’ve definitely been crying all day, but I need to pick myself back up," said Chan. "We’re just trying to make cookies and spread joy and make people happy with sweets so it really hurts us."

Chan believes one woman is behind all of the incidents, and the property damage up and down the business district.

"So it wasn’t just our business. She would go down the whole block and throw her hammer at a bunch of windows," said Chan. "I really don’t want to board up our windows, but I think it’s going to be the fact that we have to do that and then figure out what else we can do to protect the business."

Down the street, Jasmin Lopez of La Tipica Oaxaquena said their business has been open for about a year and have already dealt with property damage four different times.

"I think this will be the third time we’ll replace this window and the second time will replace the door window," said Lopez after an incident three weeks ago. "I think the frustration as well is feeling like there’s nothing really being done."

Both Chan and Lopez said they’ve filed reports with the King County Sheriff’s Office. Q13 News has reached out to the sheriff’s office and will learn more about the incidents on Monday.

The White Center Business Alliance is holding monthly meetings to talk about potentially solutions in the meantime.

The group is also rallying its neighbors to make donations to support businesses that have been impacted by vandalism. Here is a list of businesses that have been vandalized over the last year: