- Taft Police Department have provided more insight into the burglary.
- Police say it only took 15 seconds for someone to break into the restaurant, and leave with the cash register, costing significantly more in damages than the money stolen from the register.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
More information on a break-in at Jo's Family Restaurant, where the window was smashed, damaging artwork that can't be replaced and the cash register was stolen. I tracked down a witness to the burglary, who told me how it all went down.
“There’s an empty lot there, not the 1st steps but the 2nd steps, I was there watching it, seen the person come up, go over to the window, smash the window, climb through the window, grab the stuff, come out 13 seconds flat, went out,” said Gladys Terry, the witness of the break-in.
Terry said once she witnessed the crime, she started to wave people down to try and help her, as she didn't have a phone. Once she did, she was able to call the police and report the crime. Terry says it happened so fast, she did all she could to help.
Robert Gomes, the Taft Police Department public information officer, says the case is still ongoing and the person who committed the burglary has still not been identified. Gomes says Kern and Center Street have much of the same crime when the sun goes down.
“There have been crimes of similar nature involving other businesses where there was forced entry after they were closed, and registers were taken,” says Gomes.
Gomes says in most cases, where this happens little to no currency was in the registers, similar to the incident at Jo’s.
The Taft Police Department encourages all business owners late at night, or once they closed to remove any type of currency from the registers, essentially leaving the till open, so if someone was to force entry inside the business, they would see there is nothing in the registers.
Also mentioning to illuminate interior lighting, so patrol officers can see inside and whether or not somebody might be in there who does not belong, and never approach a crime in progress.
“Keep a distance they don’t wanna necessarily um come in contact with the suspect, essentially if they don’t have a phone if they can run to a nearby house, to maybe alert the residence there to call for police to respond,” continues Gomes.
Anyone with information on this ongoing case is urged by the taft police department to contact and report it to 661-763-3101.
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