Alexandria

Alexandria Smoke Shop Broken Into Twice in 10 Days

NBC Universal, Inc.

A cigar and smoke shop in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood was broken into twice in 10 days.

Security cameras inside Del Ray Cigars & More on Mount Vernon Avenue captured a large glass window being smashed about 4 a.m. Sunday. The burglar, who appears to be in his teens or early 20s, went behind the counter and grabbed disposable vape pens and other items. Then he ran to a car parked in front of the store.

The store’s alarm system had not yet activated, and he went back in for more, taking a tumble on the broken glass.

Moments later, an exterior camera captured him running back to the car, where another person waited.

Ten days earlier, there was a similar burglary there. That time, the front door glass was smashed in.

Zack, who works behind the counter, said the back-to-back break-ins have been expensive and disheartening.

“Worst case scenario, they take a bunch of stuff, we have to rebuild and whatnot,” he said. “Put some bars on the front window, which obviously isn’t aesthetically pleasing, but it’s something that, to protect the business, we have to do what we have to do.”

In situations like this, burglars will frequently sell their stolen smoke shop goods using social media, which is often how police catch them.

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