Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s help identifying one or more suspects who broke into a trio of Lehigh businesses – all within just minutes of each other.
The spree started shortly before 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 26 at the New Look Beauty Salon, located at 5600 8 Street West. An employee of the business, and three of his friends, was in the back portion of the salon when they heard the glass front door smash. The witnesses ran out of the business by the rear door and went around the building, and spotted a Hispanic male, who left the business in a blue Chevy S-10 pick up truck. The salon’s register had been pried open, however the thief left empty handed, as there was no cash left inside the drawer when the shop closed down for the day.
Exactly 10 minutes later, an unknown suspect threw a rock at the front glass door of the Subway, located at 4316 Lee Boulevard. While the door did shatter, the suspect did not appear to have entered the business. However, he then proceeded to walk to Kongo’s Pizza, located in the same shopping center, and hurled a rock at their front glass door, entering the closed business at approximately 2:09 a.m. The suspect grabbed the cash register off of the counter and threw it to the floor, pocketing the $50 left inside the drawer. A surveillance camera caught a glimpse of the suspect, and detectives are hoping someone will recognize the man and be able to place a name with the face.
Anyone with information on any of the three burglaries, which are all believed to be related, are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000. Tips may also be made online at www.swflcrimestoppers.org or by texting a tip to CRIMES (274637) Keyword: REWARD.