Brazen "smash-and-grabs" grab cops' attention in Denver area
SHERIDAN, Colo. -- Nearly two-dozen so-called "smash-and-grab" burglaries in the Denver metro area over the past week have gotten the attention of local authorities, who are trying to piece together whether the cases are related, CBS Denver reported.
Crushed glass and a broken cash register told the story of two stores burgled in Sheridan, which one store owner called "pretty brazen."
Early Monday morning a hooded figure captured on surveillance video used a rock to smash the glass door of the Verizon store.
"They took an iPhone that they were able to get off a display, they weren't able to get another one. They took some fake tablets that we had, so they're not even working or real," Verizon store manager Sade Weisheipl told the station.
At approximately the same time, in the same shopping center, someone smashed the glass at the TruckLogic.com store, stealing $200 in cash.
Store manager Warren Reyna called the heist "pretty brazen."
"He wears a full mask and gloves. He's pretty on to the fact that they're looking for various ways to catch him," Reyna told the station.
Reyna says after so many similar burglaries in the past week (23, according to CBS Denver), he and his fellow business owners have had enough.
Sheridan Police Commander Bruce Williamson said his department is talking with detectives in Englewood and Denver. He said that while he believes it's too early to link all of the cases, there are some striking similarities between them.
"It's definitely got our attention," said Williamson." It's very possible they're all related. Whether it's more than one person or the same person or a group ... it's very possible."
The suspect in the Verizon store burglary is described as 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-11 with a thin build. The suspect was wearing "a distinctive, purple and green winter jacket and gloves," according to police.
Anyone with information in these cases is asked to call local police or Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP