Four restaurants, two in La Habra and two in Whittier, were burglarized early Thursday morning, apparently by the same thief, police said.
All four burglaries took place along Whittier Boulevard between 1 and 2 a.m., according to authorities. No one was injured in any of them. The first two break-ins took place in La Habra, according to La Habra Police Sgt. Kyle Davis.
“The first one happened around 1 a.m. and the second one a few minutes later,” Davis said.
The first restaurant that was hit was California Sushi & Teriyaki at 1061 E. Whittier Blvd., according to Davis.
“The thief gained entry in both cases by smashing a window with a rock or a brick,” he said. “Nothing was taken from this restaurant because there was nothing there to take.”
The next eatery that was burgled was My Pizza Pub at 1501 W. Whittier Blvd., Davis said.
“Here the thief took an unknown amount of cash, a cash register and two small safes,” he said.
Davis also said there is surveillance video from these restaurants that show one man wearing shorts inside the restaurant.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know if he was acting along or if he had a vehicle to make his escape,” Davis added.
The next two restaurants were in Whittier.
According to Whittier police Lt. Jay Tatman, the first restaurant was hit about 1:50 a.m.
“It was Rosarito Taco Grill at 16220 Whittier Blvd. and it appears nothing was stolen,” Tataman said. “But the restaurant was ransacked.”
The last restaurant, Casa Olvera, at 16258 Whittier Blvd. was burglarized about five minutes later, according to Tatman.
“The thief or thieves took money and a cash register from this location,” Tatman said. “Unfortunately, there was no surveillance video at either restaurant.”
And just like the La Habra burglaries, the thief smashed a front window with a brick or rock, Tatman added.
Tatman said he has been in touch with the La Habra police and it appears the Whittier break-ins were carried out by the same thief or thieves.
Anyone with information on the burglaries was asked to call La Habra police at (562) 905-9750 or Whittier police at (562) 567-9200.