DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA — At least 11 Danville businesses were burglarized in a sweeping series of predawn break-ins that left restaurants, salons and other small businesses with shattered doors, damaged cash registers and thousands of dollars in repairs.
The burglaries began at approximately 3:45 a.m. Tuesday, September 1, according to reporting from KTVU and NBC Bay Area. Surveillance footage reportedly shows what appears to be the same group moving among several shopping centers and using a tool to quickly break through glass doors and windows.
At least five businesses were targeted at the Crossroads of Danville shopping center on San Ramon Valley Boulevard. Other apparent targets were located at Danville Square on Railroad Avenue.
The affected businesses included Dolce Beaute, Los Panchos Mexican Restaurant, Sultan’s Kebab, Domino’s and an Indian restaurant. Hashiya Sushi, a newly opened restaurant at Danville Square, was also among the businesses burglarized, according to NBC Bay Area.
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The suspects appear to have taken relatively little from some of the businesses. At Dolce Beaute, an employee told KTVU that someone stole snacks and pulled down a surveillance camera.
At Los Panchos, surveillance video reportedly captured three people smashing the restaurant’s front door before taking bottles of alcohol and damaging cash registers.
The burglars left Sultan’s Kebab without taking anything, according to owner Abdullah Dinc. But this was not the restaurant’s first costly encounter with thieves. Dinc told KTVU that burglars stole approximately $20,000 from the business during a previous incident in November.
At another Indian restaurant, thieves reportedly broke a cash register and escaped with approximately $700. Kibi’s Cafe on Railroad Avenue separately reported that approximately $300 was taken from its register after someone smashed a window.
In many cases, the damage appears likely to cost substantially more than the property that was stolen. Business owners said replacing the shattered glass alone could cost thousands of dollars.
That is a particularly punishing outcome for small restaurants and salons. Even when thieves leave with little cash, owners can still face emergency glass replacement, damaged equipment, disrupted operations and insurance expenses.
Several affected businesses nevertheless reopened quickly. Kibi’s Cafe and Los Panchos were both operating Wednesday despite the damage, according to Patch.
Early local reports identified fewer victims, but the count grew as additional businesses reviewed their properties and reported break-ins. By Thursday evening, NBC Bay Area reported that at least 11 businesses had been burglarized.
Danville police said no arrests had been made as of Thursday evening. Investigators were working with neighboring law-enforcement agencies examining similar incidents.
The regional coordination is notable because several businesses at San Ramon’s Crow Canyon Plaza were targeted in another early-morning burglary spree in August. Police have not publicly confirmed that the San Ramon and Danville incidents are connected.
Anyone with information or relevant surveillance footage can contact the Danville Police Department through its non-emergency line at 925-820-2144.
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