New video shows smash and grab thieves breaking into multiple businesses in the Inland Empire. Many of those businesses are part of a popular smoothie company franchise. Tony Shin reports for the NBC4 News on Dec. 5, 2023.
New video shows smash and grab thieves breaking into multiple businesses, many part of a popular smoothie franchise, in the Inland Empire.
Five stores were hit in San Bernardino County and, in some cases, burglars tunneled through a wall in one business to get to another.
At around 5 a.m. Saturday, two burglars were seen on surveillance video using a rock to smash the front door of a Juice It Up! smoothie shop in Yucaipa. Kelsey Norton, who recently took over ownership of the juice bar became one of the latest targets of the burglars who ended up empty-handed.
"I was very angry. We haven't even made any money on this store yet and now we had to put about a thousand dollars into the repairs," said Norton. "They did try and get into our cash drawer which was empty so they were in and out in about two minutes."
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Corporate officials said there have been more than two dozen burglaries at Juice It Up! shops all across Southern California.
"From Santa Clarita all the way down here to the Inland Empire, multiple stores usually in one night," said Kevin Reardon, field consultant for Juice It Up!.
Reardon says in almost every case the burglars use a rock to shatter the front door and take what little cash may be inside.
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"Multiple stores usually in one night," said Reardon. "Sometimes for $100 or $150 they are doing thousands and thousands in damage, breaking POS register systems, breaking things that the stores need to operate."
In some cases, the burglars have broken into the next door business and tunneled through the walls to get inside the juice shop. Reardon believes it's the same crew committing the crimes.
At least three other nearby businesses were also targeted at the same time as the Juice It Up! burglary in Yucaipa. A boba shop and Juan's Super Pollo restaurant also had their doors smashed.
"I don't know why they break in, especially here in Yucaipa where most of the places are family owned," said Cristopher Aldana, an employee at Juan's Super Pollo.
Norton says the thieves are getting away with little to nothing and costing small family businesses a lot of heartache and money
"You know we are local families, we've got kids and it's not just like this big company that has all this money so it really does affect us greatly," said Norton.
The surveillance videos show at least two to three people committing the crimes.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the burglaries to reach out to their local law enforcement agency.
