DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) — A family-owned barber shop in Downey is in big trouble after two thieves broke into the store on Friday and stole much-needed and expensive equipment.
The break-in occurred just after 1:20 a.m. Friday at Downey Dave's Barber Shop on Stewart and Gray Roads.
Surveillance footage shared with Eyewitness News shows two thieves walking up to the front door and using some sort of device to punch a hole in the front door. One of the suspects tears off the glass, and the two go inside.
After a while, they are seen running out of multiple items.
“All the tools were missing: clippers, scissors, box shaver, straight razor,” owner Victor Munoz said.
The video showed the thieves fleeing when the alarm went off. Munoz eventually arrived at the store to review the security camera footage.
“At 1:30 a.m., I saw two poor young men in pajamas, beanies and gloves just walking around,” he said.
The suspects stole cash from the cash register, but it is unclear how much was stolen. Munoz said the most painful part was losing expensive tools that he and two other barbers use on their clients. Muñoz said the thieves also left behind a charger for the clippers.
“Yesterday we had to turn away so many customers. It was a really bad day,” said Munoz, who has already spent hundreds of dollars replacing some of the stolen equipment. .
“This alone cost about $400, but the others were over $350,” he said, pointing to the equipment.
The business has been around since 1992, according to a GoFundMe created for the barbershop.
“My father was a barber in Downey for over 50 years. When he passed away in 2017, I took over the shop,” Munoz said.
Although the store reopened Saturday, Munoz said she still needs to buy scissors and other tools.
The company is soliciting donations to replace stolen items, repair damage caused by thieves and improve safety.
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