Three Italian restaurants in Los Angeles robbed in one hour
Three Maria's Italian Kitchen restaurants across Los Angeles were robbed overnight, with thieves making off with at least two safes.
Los Angeles – Burglars broke into three Maria's Italian Kitchen restaurants in Los Angeles early Wednesday morning and made off with two safes within the hour.
Maria's operations manager, Peggy Gonzalez, said she was on her way to the chain's Woodland Hills location around 3 a.m. after the restaurant's alarm went off. While she was waiting for police, she got a call from the security company alerting her to the alarm that had gone off.
“I know, I'm here,” Gonzalez said, but they weren't calling her about the Woodland Hills store. It was another store in Encino that had been broken into.
Fifteen minutes later, another call came in about a break-in at a store in Sherman Oaks. Thieves had stolen safes from at least two stores and fled.
The thieves emerged from Maria's Italian Kitchen restaurant with the safe in hand.
“It's unbelievable,” said chain owner Maddie Alfano, “They hit all three restaurants in less than an hour and did more damage than we had in our safe.”
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The chain shared images of a hooded suspect and a vehicle stealing two safes and then fleeing the scene. Alfano, like many other business owners, has been forced to operate largely cashless during the pandemic, but while he would prefer not to use cash at all, he fears a motion being considered by the Los Angeles City Council that would force businesses to accept cash.
Councillor Heather Hutt, who proposed the motion, said the move would be fairer to unbanked people such as seniors and the homeless.
But Alfano argued that recipients of government assistance will no longer receive checks but will be issued cards or be able to purchase cards with cash. She believes going cashless will reduce the wave of break-ins at stores like hers, which have “find it harder to do business in the city because there are so many regulations and guidelines.”
The motion to go cashless is currently being considered in committee and is expected to be voted on by the full council this summer.
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the break-in and confirmed that the Woodland Hills store was also broken into earlier this year. If you have any information about the break-in, please contact police.
