Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials confirmed Tuesday there have been no arrests yet in their investigation into a break-in at a family-run Canyon Country restaurant over the holiday weekend.
The owners of Las 3 Marias on Sierra Highway posted about the costly damage they sustained Thursday when vandals broke into their location “and damaged so much of what we have worked so hard to build,” according to a Facebook post.
The owners filed a report with SCV Sheriff’s Staton deputies, who confirmed the incident was the only one reported near their location around that time in the 26800 block of Sierra Highway, inside the shopping center at Via Princessa.
The initial report indicated, “Unknown suspects made forced entry into the restaurant at unknown time and stole from registers,” according to an email Monday from Deputy Mariela Picard, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station.
Luz Berber, one of three sisters who share ownership of the restaurant, estimated the damage at more than $5,000 in a phone conversation Tuesday. She said the damage included the entrance to the restaurant, a pair of cash registers, tablets that are used for ordering and the business’ office.
“They always target small businesses,” Berber said of the incident, adding it’s the second time the restaurant has been hit by burglars. The last time was about two years ago, she said.
“They messed up the whole restaurant on the inside,” she said.
“Registers, laptops and the computer, the main door on the entrance, and then the office door, and they just threw everything on the floor,” she said, “and I don’t think that’s something that we deserve.”
Picard indicated that there was no additional information available as the incident report was still being prepared for detectives in the station’s burglary unit.
There was one other incident reported Nov. 26 at Maria Bonita’s, a Canyon Country restaurant on Soledad Canyon Road, but the report also remained unavailable as of Monday afternoon, according to Picard. The initial information was that money was stolen from the cash register.
“Also, it’s unknown whether the burglaries were done by the same suspects or have any connection,” she wrote. “Both will be assigned to our burglary team once reports are available.”
Management was not immediately available at Maria Bonita’s on Tuesday to discuss the incident. A post from Las 3 Marias on social media shared heartbreak about their “small family business” being victimized.
“But this place isn’t just a business,” the post stated. “It’s our dream, our sacrifice, and part of this community. To see something like this happen, especially on a day meant for gratitude and family, breaks our hearts.”
L.A. County Sheriff’s Department crime numbers show burglaries down so far this year nearly 20% despite the recent reports, and property crimes are down more than 16%, while reports of violent crime have risen about 9%.
Overall, Part-I crimes are down a little more than 13% in a comparison of January-to-October crime numbers for 2024 and 2025.
Anyone with information about the incident can call the SCV Sheriff’s Station at 661-260-4000. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Lastly, tipsters can also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.
