TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A smash and grab at two Tampa smoke shops left the business owner out of thousands of dollars. Tampa police are asking for help tracking down the thieves.
“I really couldn’t believe it, that both stores got broken into,” owner Marcel Soufan said. “Honestly I couldn’t believe it, I’ve been in business for 11 years and never had this problem before.”
Soufan is the owner of Green Planet Smoke Shop. He has four locations in Tampa. Early Friday morning, he says burglars hit two of them.
Surveillance video shows two people throw something through the glass window at his shop on West Kennedy Boulevard.
“They went that way, stole a few pieces, and just ran out,” Soufan said.
Then at his shop on East Cass Street, Soufan says the thief used a wrench to bust through the glass door, then shattered a showcase. He says the burglar stole more than $20,000 worth of glass pipes.
“Same thing, 20 seconds, in and out,” Soufan said. “We’re not going to let this hurt us at all.”
Tampa police say whether both locations were targeted is under investigation.
Despite, the loss, it was business as usual at both shops Monday. Soufan says this was a minor setback, but he hopes police catch the people responsible to send a message.
“I’m a Tampa native and I hate to see crime in the city, so I hope they catch them and set a statement that you can’t do that here in Tampa or you’ll get caught,” Soufan said.
Both locations were hit just a couple of hours apart. Tampa police say if you know who these people are, call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay.
Soufan says he’s offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
