Owner says Waterloo store targeted by thieves for a third time in three months

Businesses are cleaning up after thieves broke into a Waterloo restaurant, then tried to get into a store next door. CTV’s Colton Wiens has reaction from one fe

Waterloo Regional Police are once again investigating a break-in at a plaza in Waterloo’s university district.

It’s the third time stores at 251 Hemlock Street have been targeted this year.

Police were alerted to the break-in around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The glass front door of Oka Sushi was smashed sometime overnight. No details were shared about what, if anything, was taken from the business.

Police said there was also an attempted break-in at a neighbouring electronics store. While one window was broken, no one went inside the business.

“Three guys, around 4:30-ish or 4:50-ish in the morning, they came and tried to get in,” explained Subhan Ali, the owner of Waterloo Cell Phones & Electronics. “Fortunately for us, they couldn’t get in.”

Broken glass is easy to cleanup, especially after what he’s already gone through.

“It’s the third time in the last three months,” Ali said of Tuesday’s incident. “We have to deal with this again and again.”

Thieves armed with weapons broke into his business on June 3. According to Ali, they burst through the front doors, smashed the counters and ran off with merchandise.

“Last time, they took all the phones,” he said. “I’m still dealing with insurance. I haven’t gotten a single penny yet. Whatever I spent on fixing anything, came out of my pocket.”

To stay in business, he had to make some financial sacrifices.

“I had to take a loan,” Ali explained. “I have to [purchase] some inventory to run my business, to make money.”

The break-ins also cost him potential customers.

“Last time I was closed for 15 days.”

Ali said safety is a very real concern.

“It’s a family business,” he explained. “I want to be safe. I want to feel safe.”

Waterloo Regional Police continue to investigate both recent incidents, but Ali is not expecting any arrests.

“We have to deal with this, again and again. I know police are trying to do their best, but we have no hope now,” he said. “Let’s see. Because I haven’t heard anything from the last two times. I hope they catch them. It’s for everybody’s safety.”

Ali is also considering whether to shutter his business.

“It’s the third time in three months. If I have to deal with it every month, I better just shut the business down. I don’t even have much inventory because I don’t have money now.”

- With reporting from Sidra Jafri