Glassell Park strip mall burglarized for second time this month

LOS ANGELES - For the second time in less than a month, stores at a Glassell Park strip mall were broken into. Now, business owners say they can't afford the damage to their stores anymore.

It happened around 2 a.m. Thursday morning, at the strip mall at the intersection of Verduga Road and York Boulevard. Security video showed a group of thieves calmly getting out of a station wagon, before using a glass breaker to get into Polka Polish Cuisine.

"It's very frustrating," said owner Michael Budny. "It was always safe, and no problems. Now all of a sudden, this month [it's] the second time."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Multiple businesses in Glassell Park shopping center burglarized

That's right. Thursday morning's break-in is the second time the strip mall has been targeted in May. The first was back on May 13. In that incident, security footage showed just two suspects. This time, more, around six, breaking into three businesses in the strip mall.

Security video showed that something seemed to spook the thieves, but not before leaving a trail of damage, with little to show for it.

The Ukiyo Academy Jiu-Jitsu studio was another one of the burglarized businesses, but Rafael Manese from the academy said "there's nothing to take. It's really [just] the damage to the windows."

Budny from the Polish restaurant said the window in his restaurant is "going to cost me $500 again. So soon I am just going to be making money for the window companies here."

Business owners said they're trying to do whatever they can to ward off thieves, including hanging up signs, telling any would-be criminals that there's no cash kept on premises.

"We don't keep any cash on the premises," Budny said. "Who does these days?"

The Los Angeles Police Department continues to investigate the break-ins. They are not saying yet if Thursday's break-ins are related to the ones from earlier this month.