SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) — Groups of thieves are targeting camera shops around the San Francisco Bay Area.
A Santa Rosa camera shop was targeted by a large group wielding crowbars that broke in through a back door before dawn Wednesday. People ran inside and scooped up about $10,000 worth of merchandise, Shutterbug Camera’s owner said.
It was the second time in two weeks that Shutterbug was burglarized.
Thieves went through the back door because the front door was still boarded up from the first destructive burglary. During the March 21 break-in, a group slammed a stolen car through the front doors, shattered several display cases, and stole nearly $100,000 worth of camera equipment within minutes.
During Wednesday’s burglary, “Ten criminals in three stolen cars came to the front of the store with a large chain ready to break in through the front. After finding that the boulders in front are cemented in place, and that the windows remain boarded up, they headed to the rear entrance. After several minutes they were able to gain access. We are devastated, as you can imagine,” a GoFundMe page for Shutterbug writes.
No arrests have been made, police told KRON4.
Shutterbug’s owner, Mike Paschke, was in tears Thursday. He told KRON4 that back-to-back burglaries nearly caused him to close up the 57-year-old shop forever.
Community members have donated $14,000 through the GoFundMe page to help Shutterbug rebuild and recover. “It’s just been very emotional. Community support (has) really encouraged us to keep going and has helped,” Paschke said.
Earlier this week, a San Rafael camera shop that served as a hub for photographers since 1947 was ransacked. Thieves rammed a car through the front window of Seawood Photo and stole between $40,000-$50,000 in equipment. Flash, a beloved cat who lives in the shop, was scared and shaken up by the break-in, but unharmed.
Seawood Photo’s owners wrote, “We’re more than a store; we’re a home for artists, storytellers, and dreamers. Almost daily, someone walks in, marveling that a place like Seawood still exists. We’ll do everything possible to keep this special place alive and well for future generations.”
