The San Diego Police Department’s Northeastern Division is looking into three different burglaries that occurred at businesses in Rancho Bernardo and Scripps Ranch early Monday morning. Perfect Pizza in Rancho Bernardo, Todo Sushi, and Subway in Scripps Ranch were all targeted by thieves around 5 a.m. The owners of the businesses have confirmed the break-ins.
In all three incidents, the burglar used a sledgehammer to smash through the front glass of the stores. Surveillance footage from Perfect Pizza captured the suspect breaking the glass door, heading straight to the cash register, realizing it was empty, and then attempting to break into the safe. Hector Davila, the owner of Perfect Pizza, mentioned that the entire ordeal lasted less than 10 minutes. The thief was seen on camera using the sledgehammer to smash into the safe and then dragging it through the shop. Despite the alarm going off, the thief and an accomplice, possibly a female, tried to load the safe into their vehicle but eventually abandoned it outside and fled the scene.
Fortunately, the thief did not manage to steal anything valuable from the safe, which was empty. However, Davila now has to deal with the aftermath of the break-in, including a $1,500 bill for repairing the broken glass. He expressed his frustration at the violation of his property and the unexpected financial impact on his mom-and-pop shop. This incident occurred shortly after a series of similar break-ins with a sledgehammer in 4S Ranch.
Davila mentioned that this was the second break-in at his pizza store and that he plans to enhance the security measures to prevent future incidents. Despite the challenges he is facing, Davila was touched by the outpouring of support from the community. Within hours of the break-in, customers had already placed orders and showed their support. In an effort to give back to the community, Perfect Pizza held a fundraiser for Rancho Bernardo High School’s Music Booster Club, donating 20% of the proceeds to the school.
Davila emphasized the importance of community support during this difficult time and expressed his gratitude for the gestures of kindness from customers. He remains optimistic about the future of his business and is determined to strengthen security measures to protect his shop from further break-ins.
