La Michoacana Compi, La Soga, and Sharks suffer damage, no injuries
By Josh Bootsma
LANSING, Ill. (January 14, 2021) – Three break-ins occurred at Lansing businesses in the early hours of Thursday, January 14, an apparent attempt to steal money from the restaurants’ cash registers.
La Michoacana Compi (19283 Burnham Avenue), Taqueria La Soga (19267), and Sharks Fish and Chicken (19261) are all located in the same strip mall near Lansing’s southern border. All had their glass front doors broken as at least one invader entered each store.
Business owners said the break-ins occurred sometime around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, and that the Lansing Police Department is investigating.
It unclear why these three businesses were chosen among the handful located in the same strip mall.
La Michoacana Compi
Of the three businesses targeted, only La Michoacana Compi’s cash register had money in it, around $50-60. The locked cash register was stolen by a single invader, as a video taken by a security camera located in the store shows:
Ruben Salas and his wife Rosa own La Michoacana Compi and primarily sell ice cream alongside other snacks and drinks.
“We got lucky that nobody was inside, you know, you think if somebody was working here, and they came and tried to do something, that’s no good. I mean, I’m not happy, but this is better,” Ruben Salas said on Thursday morning, hours after the break-in occurred and the broken glass had been cleaned up. He said he is often at the shop all night making ice cream, and his children often help at the shop. He is now considering adding alarms to increase security.
Ruben said he was hoping to re-open his shop as soon as possible, in a matter of hours.
Taqueria La Soga
According to staff at Taqueria La Soga, standard practice at the take-out Mexican restaurant is to empty the cash register every night. This left nothing but pennies for Thursday morning’s burglars, who didn’t bother to take them.
The brick used to shatter the glass remained lodged in the door, and the glass did not fall out of place. So the burglar broke the window next to the front door to enter the small restaurant. Besides the window and the front door, the rest of the restaurant was not damaged.
According to restaurant employee Lily Maciel, Lansing Police examined the scene for fingerprints but were unable to recover any because the invader wore gloves.
Gilberto Muñoz, who owns La Soga with his wife Martha, said this is the first time his business has been broken into. Although the break-in was “bad,” he smiled sadly and said, “the insurance will fix it” as he looked at his shattered front door.
Muñoz and Maciel indicated La Soga would need to remain closed until the potentially dangerous glass shards in the front window and door could be properly taken care of. They sadly turned away customers who arrived at the lunch hour, unaware of the early-morning break-in.
Sharks Fish and Chicken
According to employee Kaylyn Pamon, standard practice when closing up for the day at Sharks is to empty the cash register, turn it toward the front window, and open the drawers to show potential burglars there’s nothing to steal. That message, however, did not prevent Thursday morning’s intruder from shattering the glass front door. No other damage was done.
Sharks has not been in business more than a couple months at the Burnham Avenue location in Lansing. On Thursday the restaurant opened as usual despite the break-in. Pamon mentioned that she learned about the incident when the owner called her to make sure she still felt comfortable coming to work. She stayed at her post behind the counter despite the cold coming in the glass-less door.
No employees at any of the three burglarized businesses were harmed as a result of the break-ins.
Information regarding break-ins requested
Individuals with information regarding the trio of break-ins are requested to call the Lansing Police Department at its non-emergency number: 708-895-7150.
Related
- La Michoacana Compi celebrates grand opening (September 8, 2019)
Crowds enjoy Breakfast with Primo Rafa at La Soga (August 23, 2019)
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