Surveillance video captured smash-and-grab thieves hitting two Silver Lake businesses in the early morning hours Sunday, who ended up leaving more of a mess than getting away with any valuables.
The incident happened at around 3 a.m. in the 3800 block of Sunset Boulevard.
Their likely target was Undefeated, a high-end sneaker store. However, that store has been broken into three times before and now has metal gates protecting the shop in both the front and the back.
“They just happened to break into the wrong door, just a maintenance door,” Leo Valsquez, who works at Undefeated, told KTLA. “A year ago, they broke in and sledgehammered through it, and this time, they were out of luck.”
The supervisor at neighboring Oakberry Açai Bowl, Maria Novaes, also believes the burglars thought they were breaking into the back of the shoe store, but an hour after they left, the same crew returned and broke into her shop.
“It’s sad because we work hard every day and it just seems like things keep happening,” she told KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw.
Novae shared video of the crooks as they ransacked her store and also failed at breaking into a gelato shop next door thanks to a metal barrier. In the end, the suspects only made off with some snacks and a few items of retail merchandise from Oakberry Açai Bowl.
“We don’t take cash, only credit cards and Apple pay,” she told KTLA.
Surveillance cameras captured several smash-and-grab suspects breaking into shops in Silver Lake on Sept. 24, 2023. 
Surveillance cameras captured several smash-and-grab suspects breaking into shops in Silver Lake on Sept. 24, 2023. 
Surveillance cameras captured several smash-and-grab suspects breaking into shops in Silver Lake on Sept. 24, 2023. 
Surveillance cameras captured several smash-and-grab suspects breaking into shops in Silver Lake on Sept. 24, 2023.
Velasquez thinks it’s a shame that Oakberry Açai got broken into and hopes that some of the nearby businesses invest in the same security measures his employers have.
“It’s becoming a common thing recently in L.A., like flash mob robberies and stuff like that,” he said. “I know they’ve been hitting malls and all that good stuff, so I don’t know, it’s just crazy times right now.”
Anyone with information about this break-in or who may recognize the suspects from the video is encouraged to call the Los Angeles Police Department. Anonymous tips can be made through L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at L.A. Crime Stoppers.
