‘It’s the same crime over and over:’ Santa Fe Springs business target of repeat break-ins

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. (KABC) — A group of business owners in Santa Fe Springs is fed up as thieves continue to target their stores, one of which has been hit twice in one night.

“It’s been frustrating because it’s the same crime over and over each time,” said Meredith Erin, the co-founder Boredwalk, a T-shirt and gift shop on Norwalk Boulevard. “It just doesn’t seem like there’s any interest in local law enforcement in resolving the problem.”

Thieves have broken into the store three times in the last six months, and it’s the blank T-shirts they’ve been targeting.

In surveillance video from the store, you can see the thieves loading up bags full of merchandise and shirts. On two occasions, they’ve returned twice in one night.

“We’ve boarded up the windows, we’ve added alarms, we’ve added cameras. We keep adding more and more things, but it doesn’t deter them,” said Erin.

Boredwalk co-founder Matt Snow said another business, located on the other side of the industrial park, is one of their vendors and said they’ve been burglarized twice.

“They had a lot of high-value stuff stolen from them,” said Snow.

The owners believe the suspects in each break-in are the same two men, who hide behind hoodies and hats.

The owners have pleaded with the Whittier Police Department, which patrols the area, for help but the break-ins keep happening.

“These are professionals,” said Snow. “This is what they do on a regular basis. It would behoove the entire community for them to actually be stopped.”

“I would like law enforcement to figure out who is doing this,” said Erin. “I think that one group is responsible for most, if not, all the burglaries in the area and bring them to justice.”

Erin and Snow are hoping investigators will spot their T-shirts, which have their logo printed on the inside, at local swap meets or online to track down the suspects.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.