‘You worry every night’: Horry County business broken into again, cameras no help

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – A Socastee-area business owner is questioning the area’s safety after his store was broken into for a second time in a matter of months.

Bailey Taggi owns DG Vaping in Socastee and said someone broke into his store overnight Friday.

He said he got a notification on his phone that his alarm was going off and immediately called police.

A Horry County police report states the suspect broke into DG Vaping from the back after using a sledgehammer.

Taggi said the suspect stole hundreds of dollars worth of products and didn’t bother to go through their register. He stated he believed the person who broke in and stole was a customer.

However, this wasn’t the first time this had happened to Taggi’s store. Another person shattered the glass storefront and stole items in December 2023.

“It’s kind of aggravating because you have to worry every night after that. Is someone going to come back? The last guy came back the same night and then called the cops on himself,” said Taggi. “So, is this guy going to come back tomorrow, the next day, the next week?”

Taggi added that he’s at his wit’s end and is having to take even more precautions for his business and employees.

However, he believes the issue goes beyond his store and has to do with the lack of security in the overall area where his store is located.

“Honestly, I feel like after so many break-ins…we’ve been broken into twice. Purple Haze over the years have been broken into. The pharmacy next to me has been broken into,” he said. “The guy next door his trailer got stolen from the back of the shop. All these people broken into you would think would put surveillance cameras on this building. I’m the only building in this plaza that has cameras in the front parking lot and the back.”

The Horry County Police Department is still investigating this incident.

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