EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — 30 seconds– that’s how long it took thieves to ram a car through the front of a Central El Paso vape shop early Thursday and ransack the counters, the store’s manager said.
Ricardo Hernandez, the store manager at Golden Vapor Co., said the crash-and-grab happened at the shop at 4700 Dyer St. near Fort Bliss at about 2:47 a.m. He said the thieves took thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in less than half a minute.
Golden Vapor has three locations in El Paso and has been in business since 2013, Hernandez said, but this was the first time the business had been hit this way, estimating losses at around $5,000 or $6,000 in stolen product and damages.
Golden Vapor Co. store manager Ricardo Hernandez. July 30, 2026. Credit: KFOX14/CBS4
Despite the damage, Hernandez said the business remains open. “At the end of the day, we are still open,” Hernandez said, adding that the store has already begun replacing the windows.
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Hernandez said the business is working with police on the investigation. KFOX14/CBS4 reached out to police for a report, but it was not ready at the time of publication.
Hernandez thanked customers for their support. “Thank you, guys, for all the help that you have given us, you know, still coming in and helping us out,” Hernandez said. “You guys know that we always help the community. So having that same reaction back, it always, it’s always nice.”
In a written statement, Golden Vapor also shared a brief history of the business, saying it does not sell “weed, THC, CBD, delta, kratom, none of that,” and that it has “only ever sold nicotine products to adults to help them quit smoking.” The statement also said the business has helped organize food drives that donated a combined 10,000 pounds of food to the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger food bank, toy drives for Toys for Tots, and supported other community projects over the years.
Below is surveillance video shared by Golden Vapor:
Surveillance video showing a crash-and-grab robbery of Golden Vape in Central El Paso. Credit: Golden Vape Co.
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