Video shows suspect throwing rock through glass door in attempted break-in at Vernon paper business

VERNON, Calif. (KABC) — An attempted break-in was captured on surveillance video at a small paper business in Vernon, where the suspect was seen smashing a glass door with a large rock.

The incident happened Sunday, April 28, just after 5 p.m. at Small Paper Co. on Leonis Boulevard.

“They just threw it through the glass and pretty much left it there for us to find,” said owner Diana Rodriguez.

The video shows the suspect, who was seen wearing a hoodie, on a scooter outside the business. After he couldn’t open the door, he moves near a bush where he picks up the rock, hiding it in his sweatshirt. He then throws it at the door and starts kicking through the glass.

The break-in left Rodriguez with hundreds of dollars’ worth of damage.

“Starting anywhere from $350 for basic glass that’ll shatter just the same way anywhere to $550 for more durable, stronger, thicker glass, but it’s just an unnecessary cost that a small business doesn’t need,” she said.

“It’s an unnecessary expense, especially for a small business that’s still trying to stay afloat.”

The nearly 40-year-old paper converting business isn’t open to the public, and what you see inside is what you get – a whole lot of paper.

“There’s no cash register or anything like that. There’s heavy machinery that even if they try to take out, they can’t,” said Rodriguez.

There are five cameras inside and outside of the warehouse. As soon at the glass shattered, the alarm system notified the owners.

When the alarm system went off, the suspect takes off and about two minutes later, a black Honda with covered plates pulls into the driveway, stays for a moment, then drives away. The owners have since filed a police report but the suspect remains at large.

Rodriguez said incidents like this are becoming more common in the area.

“Hopefully, they can catch the guy or the people that are going around doing this,” she said.

Anyone with information is urged to call police.