At least two men, whom police are describing as “smash-and-grab bandits,” are on a burglary spree in the west metro area.
The bandits bust through glass doors and windows of businesses and steal cash. They have hit 29 businesses in the past couple of weeks, said Cmdr. Paul Pazen, who leads the Denver Police Department’s District 1.
“Typically, they’ll throw a rock or brick through a door or window,” Pazen said. “If they can’t get access to the cash drawer, they’ll steal the entire register.”
The burglars go door to door at closed businesses such as convenience stores, cellphone stores and restaurants. Two men, who conceal their identity from head to toe, have been seen in surveillance video. But they have been hard to identify, Pazen said.
Investigators are working leads and using data analysis to predict their crime patterns, Pazen said.
Police also are asking business owners to take the cash out of their registers when they close. And the department is distributing signs for businesses to post that say there is no cash inside.
