FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A Meta Liquor lost approximately $5,000 in product after a burglary occurred at the store on Friday.
Security footage shows two people pulling up in a truck and attaching a custom-made tool to the security door and the truck.
The truck then pulls off the security door, allowing them to enter the store.
The owner says that lottery tickets, cigarettes, and several bottles of liquor, with a total value estimated between $4,500 and $5,000, were stolen.
The thieves who initially broke the security door left the scene.
The footage also shows several people nearby looking, and one person actively goes inside.
However, the group of people does leave after the neighbor of the store arrives.
The owner said a woman took a handful of torch lighters and a shot of liquor.
The owner said the store has been targeted before.
He said he has had an ATM stolen three times — twice when the machine itself was taken and once when the machine was cut open, and the cash box was taken — and that he has since removed the machine.
The owner said he bought the store in 2021.
The owner said the homeless problem in Fresno is out of control and that the city needs to hold people who commit theft accountable.
The owner also said there are many resources for homeless people and that they should not resort to stealing. He said police have been contacted more than 10 times this year to report issues involving unhoused individuals near the building.
The vehicle used in the burglary is described as a Chevy Silverado.
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If you have any information about this case, you can contact the Fresno Police Department at (559) 621-7000.