KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thieves ripped off about $10,000 worth of cigarettes and cash from an East Bottoms convenience store Thursday, the second time the same store has been hit by smash-and-grab burglars in the last week.
It happened at the Phillips 66 at Nicholson and Montgall.
This is the third break-in at a convenience store on the northeast side of the city in one week. FOX 4 News reported on a similar smash-and-grab Monday that happened at 12th and Indiana.
Surveillance cameras captured the latest incident. Video shows a pickup truck backing into the glass doors of the store, smashing them down. And then thieves carrying trash cans rush in and load up the loot: Cases of cigarettes the store had just purchased. They also hauled away cash registers that had money locked inside.
Workers had just finished cleaning up from a similar break in early Saturday that they suspect involved the same crooks.
“If not the same people, I think they know each other,” said Osamah Aburas, a friend of the store owner. “Everybody in this neighborhood they probably know who did it because probably they have a history of doing this.”
Convenience store operators are a tight knit group. They tell FOX 4 News that police found a pick-up truck matching the description of the one shown in the video. It had been abandoned and torched near the store.
If you think you can identify any of the thieves shown in the surveillance video, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. Store owners are hoping someone can help them.
