The owner of both Papa John’s locations in Santa Clarita shared footage of two burglars’ early-morning break-ins at his restaurants in hopes that someone who knows something can help local law enforcement.
“There’s something crazy going on here,” said local franchisee Brian Kawasaki, who said he and his wife live out here and run both locations, and haven’t really seen anything like this until recently.
But the “back-to-back” burglaries Monday night are actually the second time his business has been targeted in a week.
Thieves smashed the glass, alerting the alarm company shortly before 6 a.m. Monday at the Seco Canyon Road location, and then the Lyons Avenue location was struck nearly 20 minutes later.
The Saugus location also was burglarized the same way last week around 1 a.m. Oct. 9, he said. That footage shows a third suspect.
The footage of the most recent incident shows two men wearing similar clothing in both incidents, vandalizing his locations in what appears to be “a clear coordination” of the burglaries, he said.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials said the incident is under review and part of an active and ongoing investigation and confirmed the report of the Monday morning break-ins, the first report coming in around 5:45 a.m. near the intersection of Bouquet and Seco canyon roads, and then 23120 Lyons Ave. at around 6 a.m., according to the footage.
The footage shows the burglars bypassing the wooden covering on the door of the Saugus location and using a tool to break the glass window next to it, before the two suspects, wearing masks, crawl through the hole.
The thieves appear to be unable to remove the safe they’re trying to steal and move on.
Kawasaki was at both locations Monday morning to get the glass repaired, he said in a phone interview.
He said he and his wife, Janell, who live locally, haven’t really dealt with anything like this before in the past 18 months or so since they became local franchisees.
He also said it didn’t appear as though any of the neighboring businesses to his location were hit.
SCV Sheriff’s Station officials did not have reports that morning for any other related incidents.
No arrests have been made as of the publication of this story.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact the SCV Sheriff’s Station at 661-260-4000. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.
Breakout Box
Crime prevention tips
In a phone interview Monday, Deputy Robert Jensen, spokesman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station, said the station recently issued the following tips for businesses that are intended to help them be less vulnerable to these types of incidents and help deputies solve the crimes when they occur:
As the holidays approach, it’s a great time to ensure your business is protected from potential burglaries. Here are some quick steps to safeguard your property:
• Secure all entry points — Double-check doors and windows at closing.
• Brighten up — Keep parking lots and entryways well-lit.
• Check your security cameras — Ensure all cameras are working and positioned correctly.
• Stay alert — Report any suspicious activity in your area immediately.
• Limit access — Only trusted employees should have keys or alarm codes.