Thieves steal $7K worth of fireworks from Douglasville business that donates to veterans

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Paul Richardson couldn’t believe it.

“Apparently, there’s a thieving crew running around robbing people,” he said.

Richardson got a call Saturday morning about a theft at his Big Grin Fireworks stand on Old Dallas Highway near Cave Springs Road.

“This was not just a smash-n-grab,” Richardson said.

The video from a nearby liquor store tells the tale. On it, a truck pulls into the lot around 5:30 a.m. and backs up to the stand, where thieves rip open the stands right window, pilfer the shelves, and are gone in less than three minutes.

“They sped off in such a hurry that fireworks were strewn all down the highway,” Richardson said.

It could have been worse. A pile of empty cardboard boxes stacked in the stand for the night prevented the thieves from quickly accessing half the stand.

Richardson estimates he lost about $7,000 in fireworks. Worse still, 30% of gross sales were supposed to go to helping veterans.

“The veterans are the key part behind this,” he said.

Founded in 2019, Big Grin Fireworks has grown from two to 11 stands. The proceeds from each location go to different veteran causes, such as foreign legion posts.

“To make up for what we lost here, we’re going to have to sell another roughly $18,000 worth of product,” Richardson said.

As for the thieves? Richardson notified the Douglasville Police Department and hopes they can find the culprits.

“It’s a very big hurt for this stand, but I think somebody out here knows who’s doing this,” Richardson said.

In the meantime, the biggest sales days of the year are here, and there is still time for Big Grin to put smiles on people’s faces.

“We have tremendously great value for you, and it supports a great cause: our veteran’s groups,” Richardson said.

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