Aurora liquor store broken into twice in one night: 'I thought I was watching a movie'

Aurora's mayor is calling for change after a liquor store was broken into twice in the same night.

"This is the kind of lawlessness that we're experiencing not just in Aurora, but also throughout Colorado," Mayor Mike Coffman said Monday morning. "We've got to be tougher on crime...and if we don't, we're just inviting more of the same."

He made his comments from G&E Liquors on East Iliff Avenue, where the owner of the shop showed the mayor what's left after thieves busted in twice early Saturday.

"I thought I was watching a movie," said Girum Alamayehu, owner of G&E Liquors.

It was just about 2 a.m. when Alamayehu woke to an alert on his phone, notifying him of some activity captured by the Ring camera at his business. He began watching the live video, showing a Hummer ramming repeatedly into his glass storefront.

"I was thinking it must be a drunk driver," he said. "But a second later, he just accelerated…backed up, and did it again."

Then, they watched as two thieves used a pickup truck and chain to rip out the ATM inside the store. Alamayehu called 911 and Aurora officers responded within minutes. Officers on scene eventually asked him to give them a copy of the security video, which Alamayehu said took him about a half hour.

"Coming back out, I don't see them," he told CBS News Colorado. "I look around, there's no presence of police officers."

A bit confused, Alamayehu said he and his wife decide to stay in their truck so they could keep a close eye on their busted open business. Not three hours later, they couldn't believe their eyes – more thieves are breaking in.

"I honked the horn so [to say] 'We are here,' and I thought he was going to run," Alamayehu explained. "Instead, he put his hands in his hoodie pocket and charged toward us."

Alamayehu called 911 again, telling dispatchers he is the same person who was robbed earlier. This time, though, one of the suspects was following him and the other was inside the store. Both thieves would get away before officers returned.

"The law failed me," said Alamayehu.

This isn't the first time his business has been robbed, he said. However, about seven years ago the police response was different.

"That time officers stayed here," Alamayehu said. "A detective came soon, they told us what to do. This incident, they didn't tell us what to do."

Alamayehu said he feels let down by Aurora Police, a department he has long supported and often contributes to their community events.

"All my life I have lived in Aurora," he said. "This is frustrating. The law is not there. It's just a free 'whatever you want to do, you can do it without repercussion.'"

His small business is now in big trouble as Alamayehu said he cannot reopen until repairs are made. That could take weeks, he said, because of supply chain issues for the materials needed to replace his storefront. All he can do now, he said, is hope Aurora Police can catch those responsible and hold them accountable.

"Aurora should wake up and serve the small business the way they used to," he said. "Protect us the way they used to."

Aurora police confirmed the Hummer used to initially break into Alamayehu's business was stolen out of Denver just a few hours earlier. They recovered that vehicle from the scene, and are processing it for evidence, but so far, no suspects have been found. The department also shared investigators have linked the liquor store burglary to a burglary at another business about an hour earlier. Police tell CBS News Colorado in both cases, burglars targeted the ATM machines, but aren't releasing any other details.

Aurora Police issued a statement, saying, in part:

"We understand there is concern that officers did not remain on scene or assist with boarding up the business.  It is not normal protocol for officers to secure private businesses or homes after a burglary has occurred. During the two hour time period from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. on October 8th, Aurora Police Department Officers were dispatched to and handled over 20 calls for service.  These included multiple hit and run accidents, allegations of sexual assault, a missing person report, a person threatening suicide, and multiple reports of different suspicious occurrences called in by community members."

"However, we also understand this frustrating ordeal greatly impacts both business owners."