KAPOLEI, Hawaii (KHON2) — There has been another set of smash-and-grabs in Kapolei.
The suspect was quick and made it in and out of My Cafe in about one minute, but not fast enough to dodge the security cameras.
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The incident happened early on Friday, June 17. My Cafe’s line cook said he called 911 as soon as he got in, but found out he was not the only one hit by thieves.
“They went to the — that restaurant instead, and I said, ‘No, not that restaurant, this restaurant!’ So I looked, and then the window there too was broken,” Ruel Pahez said.
Just one store over, the manager of Thai Lao Restaurant had a similar story.
“The police had already arrived and this door — the glass was broken,” Sandra Chaleunxay said.
Both restaurants said their cash drawers were taken, along with the safe at Thai Lao restaurant.
“Luckily, the safe was emptied out the night before,” Chaleunxay said, “so to be honest, they got nothing!
“But it’s heartbreaking to see that we’re not in a safe community. That’s how I feel.”
Sandra Chaleunxay, Thai Lao Restaurant manager
It did not stop there; Tiffany’s Nails is next to Thai Lao Restaurant. Workers told KHON2 that someone also tried to break in on Friday morning, but the alarms went off and the window security film stopped the rock from breaking the glass.
Thai Lao Restaurant told KHON2 that incidents like these add insult to injury as Hawaii restaurants slowly recover from pandemic restrictions.
“We were — we were this close to being closed,” Chaleunxay said.
The owner of My Cafe feels the same and had to adjust operations on Friday.
“Everybody is hurting so bad right now that we decided to stay open with like a very limited menu,” Mark Nakagawa said. “Just another layer of something to worry about.”
Both restaurants told KHON2 that they are relieved workers were not in-store, despite needing new doors and registers. Pahez said he would like everyone in the community to stay alert and aware.
“Keep an eye out for each other, so you know, we can at least deter them from, you know, doing more damage, yeah? In the community,” Pahez said.
