Surveillance video captured burglars ramming into a South Los Angeles barbershop and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of tools and equipment, along with the owner’s beloved cat.
On Nov. 27, the suspects pulled up to LA Fresh Cuts at 1807 E. Florence Avenue in a beige Toyota pickup truck around 2:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.
With the truck in reverse, the driver rams into the storefront, shattering the glass door, windows and walls.
Seconds later, three masked men exit the truck and quickly run inside the barber shop. The trio ransacked the place, grabbing any tools they could find including clippers, scissors, chargers and more.
Surveillance video captured three burglars ramming into a South Los Angeles barbershop and escaping with thousands of dollars in cash and equipment along with kidnapping the owner’s cat on Nov. 27, 2025. (LA Fresh Cuts)
Joe Gomez’s cat, Simba, is seen inside his kennel on the back of the burglars’ truck on Nov. 27, 2025. (LA Fresh Cuts)
The storefront of LA Fresh Cuts was destroyed after the burglars rammed their truck into the glass doors and windows. (KTLA)
Joe Gomez, owner of LA Fresh Cuts, speaks to KTLA on Nov. 29, 2025. (KTLA)
Joe Gomez’s cat, Simba, is the barbershop’s unofficial mascot who greets customers daily. (LA Fresh Cuts)
Devoted clients are stopping by LA Fresh Cuts to support owner Joe Gomez during this tough time. (KTLA)
Over $6,000 worth of barber tools were stolen by the burglars. (KTLA)
Joe Gomez’s cat, Simba, is the barbershop’s unofficial mascot who greets customers daily. (LA Fresh Cuts)
They even grabbed a kennel containing the owner’s beloved cat, Simba, before hastily placing the caged animal onto the truckbed and driving away.
The shop’s owner, Joe Gomez, said he’s beyond devastated that his cat was kidnapped.
“When I saw the video, it was Simba I was looking at the whole time,” he said. “I didn’t even care about the inventory they were throwing in the truck. It was just my cat, how he was acting and how they were treating him. That’s what got me the most.”
The beloved Savannah cat is the barber shop’s unofficial mascot who greets customers daily.
“It’s just devastating,” Gomez told KTLA’s Jillian Smukler. “It sucks.”
Gomez said the estimated cost of repairs and stolen tools is over $13,000. Despite the big setback, he said he doesn’t plan to stop working and serving his clients.
Customers who heard of the break-in said they were eager to support Gomez during this tough time, with many coming in for a haircut.
His commitment to the local community goes beyond the barbershop. Next door to the shop is a small boxing gym he opened up, with the hope that it could become a place for kids and teens to train and stay out of trouble.
“It’s a bad neighborhood and I’m trying to prevent these kids from doing what these [burglars] did to me on Thanksgiving,” Gomez said.
As the case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Gomez said he’s just hoping to get his Simba back safe and unharmed.
“That really is all I care about,” he said. “He’s a family member. They kidnapped a family member.”
Gomez said he will continue working and keep his shop open because it’s his main source of income at this time.
A GoFundMe page to support Gomez’s rebuilding efforts can be found here.
Anyone with information on the break-in can call the LASD at 323-820-6700.
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