CENTERTON, Ark. — The owners of a local restaurant are speaking out after they were burglarized earlier this week.
The incident was caught on camera and police are investigating, but so far they have no leads.
“We were both like 'wow I can’t believe that this happened to us' and it did happen. I was just surprised and in shock. I was a little angry at the time," said TacoHolic owner Raul Marquez.
Surveillance video shows the burglar with their face covered using a hammer to pry open the register, getting away with just $83.
The restaurant owner says he understands everyone is struggling right now.
“If this person would have walked in here and said 'hey, I need help, can you help me I need to feed my family', we would have gladly figured something out to help that person," Marquez said.
A few minutes before the incident, the burglar was caught on camera attempting to break-in to the liquor store Nathan's just a few doors away but was unsuccessful.
“If anybody does recognize either the backpack or the shoes or anything,any little bit of information can go a long way in an investigation like this," said Captain Christopher Kelley with the Centerton Police Department.
Police haven’t been able to find any fingerprints because the thief was very careful not to touch anything.
Although the restaurant has been able to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic thanks to delivery and takeout the owner still estimates that they’ve lost about 70% of their sales.
“We have a minimum number that we have to average on a daily basis and we have been blessed in that respect. The Centerton community has been great to us," Marquez said.
While the burglary unexpected and inconvenient, the restaurant owners say they aren’t going to dwell on it. Instead, they plan to move forward.
TacoHolic is not planning to open the small dine-in area on May 11th. The owners are going to wait a little bit longer, but you can still get take-out or delivery.
If you have any information about the burglary, you are asked to contact the Centerton Police Department.