Trio of burglary suspects break into LA County self-defense store

A trio of suspects stole whatever they could carry after breaking into a self-defense store in Los Angeles County early Tuesday morning. 

The early morning burglary happened at about 3:40 a.m. in the 7600 block of Van Nuys Boulevard. The suspects nonchalantly cased the business in full view of several security cameras, with one initially trying to open the front door. 

With the front door locked, the suspects opted to break a window and climb into the store. The three suspects grabbed whatever they could before officers arrived. 

Mike Mahfoud, the owner of the store, said the suspects stole tasers, projectiles and some less-lethal Byrna pistols, which fire pepper-filled projectiles. 

"They are really effective and can actually do some damage," Mahfoud said. 

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department arrived after the shattered glass triggered the store's alarm. However, they did not arrest anyone since the suspects snuck out the back. 

"They took 22 minutes that's a long time," Mahfoud said. 

Investigators could not describe the suspects. The store owner said they have not tallied the exact amount of losses.

"It's getting just worse," Mahfoud said. "The only difference is we used to see it once a month. Now, we see it once a day, once a week, twice a week."

Crews boarded up the broken window. Mahfoud hopes he won't have to deal with burglars again. 

"We want to reinforce the whole area to avoid this from happening again," he said.