ST. LOUIS – An investigation is underway after a string of burglaries occurred across Soulard businesses early Wednesday morning.
At Big Daddy’s Bar, burglars broke a window near the front entrance and climbed into the bar.
“(They) came in through one of my windows, ripped out two registers. (There) wasn’t anything in them….but they caused a lot of damage,” owner Jon Vieluf said.
From there, Vieluf says the burglars got into an office, where they took cash from drawers left out for the day ahead. One camera was able to capture a clear look at their faces, although they were wearing masks.
“They should be identifiable to someone who knows them. We do have a partial plate on a vehicle on a Kia that was their getaway car, I guess,” Vieluf said.
Big Daddy’s wasn’t the only Soulard business burglarized early Wednesday morning. At least three others, including Molly’s and Bogart’s, were also hit. Police say they are investigating if these burglaries are connected.
“Criminals aren’t always the smartest, but normally if they hit up that many places, you have a plan,” Vieluf said.
Vieluf estimates that between the damaged widow, stolen equipment and cash, the thieves caused around $2,500 in damages. Police arrived 34 minutes after the initial security alarm sounded, according to him.
“Listen, I’m pro-police. I’m just saying that’s kind of concerning. I’m sure there might have been some other stuff going on in the city. I’m not sure why that took that long to respond. I don’t know what the normal response time is, but I would think it’s a little bit sooner than that,” he said.
A spokesperson from the St. Louis Police Department says they are aware of Vieluf’s concerns and are looking into the cause of the delayed response.
“It’s frustrating. It’s disheartening. It is what it is. Nobody got hurt. That’s a good thing. We don’t have things like this happen here,” Vieluf said.
If you recognize the burglars or have any information about these crimes, you’re asked to call the St. Louis Police Department at (314) 231-1212.
