Investigators are searching for the burglars who robbed multiple businesses on Riverside just minutes after one another. Tony Shin reports for the NBC4 News on Jan. 25, 2023.
Five businesses at Canyon Crest Towne Centre in Riverside were hit by burglars on Monday all within minutes of each other, leaving business owners furious.
Surveillance video from one of the businesses shows it was burglarized twice this week. The video shows a burglar breaking into Canyon Crest Vape Shop early Monday morning.
The owner didn't want to be identified for security and privacy reasons, but she said the intruder got away with laptops, vape products and nearly $7,000 in cash that was hidden inside the store.
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The thief also caused roughly $3,000 in damage.
Then Wednesday morning, there was another break in -- at the same vape shop. The owner says it's possibly the same burglar. The thief ran behind the counter and grabbed products before leaving, causing hundreds of dollars worth of damage.
"So I came down here. And of course the glass was shattered," said Jin Kim, owner of Break the Ice.
Kim said a burglary happened a few weeks ago where not only was his business targeted, but two others across the way.
"I lost my laptop computer with all my tax information," Kim said. "And then I had to pay for the glass which cost me a thousand dollars."
And then it happened again.
His neighbors across the way were burglarized again early Sunday morning, along with an oil shop, a deli, and the aforementioned vape shop.
"It's really frustrating and it can happen every month or every two weeks," Kim said
The owner of Isabella's Cupcakes and More said she was grateful she hasn't been targeted, at least not yet. But she and other business owners are worried they could be next.
"For somebody to come in and break in multiple places, I don't know. They're scoping this place out or I have no idea," Diana Rodriguez said.
NBCLA reached out to the property management company but still hasn't heard back.
In the meantime, business owners say they have been reassured that security patrols are being increased.
