San Diego Police are investigating a rash of burglaries in Barrio Logan that have left many business owners in the area wondering who will be next.
The burglaries are focused particularly on a one-block area of Logan Avenue.
Eight nights ago on Sunday, San Diego Police responded to a break-in at the Arts-Rec Skateshop on Logan Ave.
They sent in the police dog first to determine whether the burglars were still inside. They were not, but left behind plenty of damage including a shattered plate glass window.
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NBC 7 obtained a copy of a doorbell camera video recording the very next morning that shows a man dressed in a grey sweatshirt leaving the store through a plywood used to shore up the broken window from the night before.
The owner of the video says police have a copy and it is part of their investigation.
Police records indicate it was the 9th burglary in the 2,100 block of Logan Avenue since April. There were none last year during this same period.
“I’m not from around here, but it makes me worry about my own business,“ food truck operator Ismael Torres told NBC 7.
Crash Crash Buns is a food truck Torres parks across the street fromArts-Rec Skateshop. He’s only been in business for three weeks.
"Food trucks are like a car, you can open it and steal something from the inside or steal the whole thing,“ Torres said.
Business owners NBC 7 spoke with in Barrio Logan say oftentimes they have each other’s back. When it comes to property crimes like these, they don’t often resolve it with police. But police are involved in this series of crimes, so that takes it to a higher level and a greater concern.
Claudia Biezunski has been teaching sewing lessons and selling her repurposed clothing creations on Logan Avenue for a half dozen years.
“We really think like, who could be next in something like this, “ Biezunski said.
Biezunski is aware of the burglaries but refuses to let fear dictate decisions about her business.
“As a woman and most of these businesses are women-owned businesses, we just have to communicate a little more if we see something a little bit more suspicious,“ Biezunski said.
So far there are no arrests and police have not provided any more information.
It may look like business as usual, but not everyone here feels that way.
Business owners, we spoke with say many of the small businesses here are still in recovery mode from the pandemic. Stealing from the stores is a setback most can’t afford.
