LEON VALLEY, Texas – The manager at Sari Sari was shocked when showing up to work Thursday morning.
Leon Valley police said the local Filipino restaurant, market and bakery, located at 5700 Wurzbach, was burglarized just before 2:30 a.m..
“She called me at 7:15 a.m. when (she) noticed the shattered glass,” Camille De Los Reyes said. De Los Reyes is the owner of Sari Sari.
In an effort to track down the suspect, De Los Reyes shared the surveillance video on the restaurant’s Instagram page.
The videos captured the suspect from different angles inside the restaurant. The suspect is dressed in black with a hoodie, athletic shorts and sneakers.
First, the suspect is seen walking up to the main door with an unidentified object in his right hand. His face is partially covered by his hood. He then drops to the ground, uses that same object to shatter the glass door and easily pushes his way through without setting off the alarm.
“He kind of crawls through,” De Los Reyes said. “Maybe he’s familiar with these kinds of doors or this kind of setup. I guess our door would have been triggered had it been pried open, but the (broken) glass wasn’t detected (by the alarm).”
The suspect left the restaurant with his hands full in less than five minutes, leaving the owner and staff on edge.
“Oh, (it was) strategic,” De Los Reyes said. “It’s such a scary feeling. He found our safe. (The safe) was in a (completely) different place that we don’t have cameras on. So, I’m not sure how that happened.”
The suspect’s face can clearly be seen as he walks out carrying the safe. He exited through the back door and loaded up the safe in a Lexus sedan.
“Luckily, it was just the cash sales from the night before,” De Los Reyes said. “So, we dodged a bullet there.”
According to the manager, Leon Valley Police took fingerprints at the scene. While the investigation continues, business at Sari Sari also carries on. The door has been boarded up and customers can enter through the patio or market door.
“We’re able to open, and so, that’s all I really care about it,” De Los Reyes said. “I’m glad that everybody’s safe, that he didn’t structurally damaged much else (and) that we can continue to be here.”
Customers and owners of other restaurants have commented messages of support. Others have decided to show their support by dining in.
“I saw on Instagram this morning, and I felt sad about it,” Heart Bieren said. “So, anything that (we) can do to to help, at least maybe by eating here or showing some support online.”
As of Thursday afternoon, no arrests have been made. If you recognize the man in the video, call Leon Valley Police Department at 210-461-9140.