Community Corner

Thieves Break Into Southampton Shopping Center Stores

The burglary happened overnight and police are continuing to investigate.

Update: 12:30 p.m.

Police are now saying that 250-300 cartons of cigarettes were stolen from Discount Cigarette in the Southampton Shopping Center some time during the night of November 5 or early in the morning of November 6, 2012.  The estimated value of the stolen tobacco products is $13,000-$14,000 dollars.

The Discount Cigarette is closed today but an employee who was taking a smoke break and asked not to be identified said, "We prefer not to release any information right now."

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In a release sent out by the Benicia Police Department it was revealed that officers responded to an alarm at Discount Cigarette at 2:21 a.m. Tuesday and that the store appeared secure.

The release also confirmed that the thieves gained entry to Little Thai by forcing the back door and that nothing was stolen from either Little Thai or Supercuts.

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The thieves exited the scene through the back door of the Supercuts shop.

Police do not have any suspects in custody but are reviewing surveillance videos. 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 

Burglars broke into three businesses in the Southampton Shopping Center late in the evening of November 5, or early in the morning of November 6, 2012.

Police are still investigating the break-in and have not released a statement detailing what if anything was stolen or whether there are suspects being sought.

Workers from two of the three affected businesses indicated that the burglars somehow gained entry to the Little Thai Restaurant, through the back door.   The thieves then entered a back storeroom and attempted to punch a hole into the Supercuts store next door.

They managed to make the hole but ran into a set of built-in cabinets that thwarted their efforts.  The burglars then moved to the dining room where they were able to knock a hole in the wall and gain entry into the Supercuts.

The thieves then went into the back of the Supercuts and knocked a large hole through to the Discount Cigarette.  Police would not allow pictures of the large hole but one Supercuts employeee was overheard saying it was large enough to walk through.

One shelf in the front of the tobacco retailer appeared to be cleaned out. 

Police remain tight-lipped about what was taken but said they will release more information as it becomes available.

Weingarten Realty, the company that owns Southampton Shopping Center refused to comment on whether they have contracted for 24 hour security at the center.  “That’s information we don’t disclose,” said Marketing Manager Carrie Murray who works out of Weingarten’s Houston, TX headquarters. 

Patch will update this story as  more details become available.

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