By Mary O’KEEFE

Two neighboring Eagle Rock restaurants were burglarized on Tuesday night at about 11:45 p.m.

The suspect broke the bottom half of the front glass door at the Penny Oven restaurant and Relentless Brewing and Spirits in the 2100 block of Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock.

The suspect was seen on surveillance footage entering Penny Oven and entering the business’ office. The suspect apparently decided not to take or attempted to break into the safe. Instead the suspect walked to the cash register but found it had no cash and left the restaurant.

It is believed that the same suspect was responsible for the break-ins at both businesses.

Colorado Boulevard has suffered these types of burglaries quite often, said Penny Oven owner Corey Wilton in an interview with CVW. Wilton owns other restaurants in the area including Four Cafe across the street from Penny Oven.

“[That] restaurant was [burglarized] in the same way about four months ago,” he said.

And another restaurant he owns not too far away from Penny Oven was burglarized in a smash-and-grab style a year ago.

Wilton said he has gone to neighborhood meetings in the past and at one a Los Angeles police officer mentioned that business owners could pay more city taxes to hire security in the area. Wilton thought that might be a good idea but other business owners, he said, did not want to pay more taxes.

“I can’t blame them,” he said.

Doris Hess owns Relentless Brewing and Spirits not far from Penny Oven. She has not owned her restaurant for long; on Tuesday the burglar did not get anything but she still is concerned about future attempts.

“I would like a Neighborhood Watch,” Hess said.

Hess said that her business is on a “very unique street” and both she and Wilton like that the area is family-friendly.

Hess added the neighbors support local businesses.

The smash-and-grab type burglaries seem to be on the rise everywhere, including in Crescenta Valley.

On Jan. 2 at 3 a.m. Los Angeles County Sheriffs/CV Station deputies responded to the Flintridge Pharmacy in the 500 block of Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada regarding a burglary alarm. They discovered the glass in the lower half of the storefront window had been shattered. Inside the building deputies discovered another glass door had been shattered that separated the checkout counter from the medication room. Nothing appeared to be stolen.

A similar burglary occurred in Montrose at Seasoning Alley in the 2300 block of Honolulu Avenue on Sept. 6, 2019. The front glass door to that business was shattered.  At the time of the burglary a film company was in the area but did not report hearing or seeing anything.

These types of smash-and-grab burglaries are normally committed during late night/early morning hours. Anyone who may have seen anything concerning these burglaries is asked to call LAPD’s anonymous tip line at (800) 222-8477, or the LASD-CV Station at (818) 248-3464, or GPD at (818) 548-4911. 

  Mary Okeefe