Video captures one of several smash-and-grab burglaries along York Road in Baltimore
BALTIMORE -- In a three-hour span early Monday, police said at least eight businesses were broken into along York Road in Baltimore, and into Baltimore County near Towson.
Five storefronts in the Belvedere area and at Anneslie Shopping Center on the Baltimore County line had their windows smashed, reports WJZ's Stephon Dingle.
Three businesses were targeted hours later in South Baltimore near Cherry Hill, police said, but it's unclear if it is related to the York Road incidents.
Two pizzerias in the Belvedere area were hit, along with a Five Guys, Vito Pizza and Qdoba in the Anneslie Shopping Center.
WJZ obtained exclusive video of the moment three suspects emerged in front of a carry-out spot on York Road near Woodbourne.
One person appeared to throw an item into the glass door, and then they started kicking it in.
For several seconds, they took turns working on the door until it finally broke, and then they climbed in.
While one person vanished into the store another suspect kept trying to rip the glass open.
Another camera angle showed a suspect with a patterned jacket run to one side and then hopped over the counter.
A third camera angle showed the moment the suspect ripped out the register and then dragged it out of the camera frame.
Within seconds, that suspect hoisted the register over counter and shimmied under a plastic shield. Then, he and the register fell several feet to the floor.
The suspects were in and out within seconds.
Baltimore City police were heard on radio transmissions trying to track at least eight burglaries.
"They are smashing out the doors on these commercials businesses and going in and stealing the cash register," police said on the radio.
Suspects hit three businesses in the 2000 block of West Patapsco Avenue. However, majority of the incidents were along York Road, including a carryout near the Senator Theater.
"When we came in, we just saw that it was broken," the worker at a pizzeria said. "We didn't get no notification or anything."
Within hours of this break in caught on camera, businesses replaced the broken doors and went back to work.
"When they have to pay out of pocket, it's pretty frustrating, especially when, you know, everybody's dealing with price increases," said Ahmad Mekled, who was repairing a door.
Radio transmissions indicated that the burglaries may be connected, but that has not been confirmed by police.
Baltimore Police provided the following timeline for the burglaries:
- 1:48 a.m. A business in the 5400 block of York Road had the front glass door shattered, and the cash drawer was take,
- 2:14 a.m. Windows smashed at Marios Pizza
- 2:43 a.m. Five Guys, Vito Pizza and Qdoba targeted. Unclear what property was taken
- 4:58 a.m. Businesses at 2131, 2139, and 2149 West Patapsco Avenue had their windows shattered
