String of burglaries leaves Eagle Rock business owners demanding answers

A string of burglaries at more than half a dozen Eagle Rock businesses has some owners demanding action from local law enforcement. 

The most recent burglaries, which happened early Sunday morning at two restaurants and a coffee shop, are just the latest in a weeks-long issue plaguing the community. 

Security video from the impacted businesses show the moments that a man smashes through each of their doors along Colorado Boulevard just after 4 a.m. on Sunday. 

Dominica Abat, who owns Loop Espresso Club, arrived to find the door of his coffee shop shattered, just weeks after opening their doors to the public. 

"It's another cost, and we've only been open for two weeks so and this is my first business," Abat said while speaking with KCAL News.

While no cash was stolen in this instance, he's worried that it will happen again and cost him even more money. 

"There have been residents coming in and warning us about that," Abat said. "It was happening to other businesses down the street and over here too."

Alan Moore owns Cheebo, one of the restaurants hit over the weekend. He says that the suspect threw a brick through the front door of their business. 

"To put it bluntly, you have to sell a lot of pancakes to pay $800 just to repair things," Moore said. "Deal with inflation, increasing wages, tough. And, it's not made easier by people taking what is not theirs."

Chateau Lemongrass was also victimized in the latest round of burglaries, making it the second time in the span of a month. The first time, employees say that the thieves made off with their safe. 

"I supposed a crime of opportunity, they did take from three businesses in a very short time," Moore said. "So one has to think there was a bit of planning and somebody knew what they were doing."

In response to the rash of burglaries, where at least five other businesses have been targeted in the last month, Los Angeles Police Department has increased patrols in the area. 

On top of this, LA City Councilman Kevin de León recently set aside $100,000 in January for extra police work in his district in order to combat burglaries in the Eagle Rock community.