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Pleasanton police investigating string of predawn business burglaries
Pleasanton police are investigating multiple burglaries that took place before dawn on Thursday. Nearly 20 businesses, mostly restaurants, were broken into. Investigators believe this is the result of the same crew of burglars.
PLEASANTON, Calif. - Boarded up windows. Shattered glass. Repair crews hard at work.
It was a scene repeated over and over again on Thursday, hours after a crew of burglars smashed into at least 18 businesses across Pleasanton before dawn, including at the Pacific Pearl shopping center on Stoneridge Drive.
"Honestly, it's pretty devastating, because we're so used to this being a family-friendly environment," said Mika Bhakta, who owns a soft-serve and dessert shop at the shopping center but was not victimized.
"All of us feel so safe here, relatively, so it's kind of shocking the first time we kind of feel a little bit like, ‘Oh no, like we gotta really watch out now.' "
Break-ins caught on video
What we know:
Surveillance video obtained by KTVU shows a masked intruder using a device to quickly shatter the glass door at a sushi restaurant at about 3:50 a.m. Thursday.
He walks inside, grabs a cash register and leaves through the hole left in the door.
Another break-in happened at a Korean fried chicken restaurant. The burglar stole about $300. The owner told KTVU he's frustrated because he believed Pleasanton was safe.
The same crew is suspected of hitting many other restaurants, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
At one restaurant, workers found the cash register on the ground, with about $20 missing. But the repairs cost much more.
"I feel so upset, actually," said one worker at a Chinese restaurant that was burglarized.
She had this message to those responsible: "I sincerely hope you guys can find a job. If not, please ask the government for help."
Intruders chased by police - then escape
What they're saying:
Pleasanton police Lt. Brandon Stocking said officers chased four suspects after a burglary at another shopping center. But police called off the chase of the Lexus GS because of safety concerns.
"We recognize what kind of impact this has to the business owners, and we are doing our absolute best to find the individuals responsible and to bring them to justice," Stocking said.
Similar spree in Danville
What we don't know:
The spree happened a little more than a week after a similar burglary spree that victimized businesses in downtown Danville, but police did not say whether there was a connection.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by interviews and/or statements from Pleasanton police and KTVU reporting by Henry Lee.
Burglars sought in spree of downtown Danville break-ins
Danville police are trying to identify a group of burglars who smashed their way into more than a dozen downtown businesses, not stealing too many things of value but leaving behind plenty of damage in the form of broken windows and doors.