WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Can you help solve this business burglary?

| Crime | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

One month ago today, Jan’s Beauty Supply in The Junction was burglarized. We didn’t hear about it until a customer mentioned it recently and encouraged them to tell the story, both as a warning and in case it brings in tips. Here’s what we received:

The incident occurred early morning 5/24/2019 between the hours of 3:30 am -5:30 am. (This is an ongoing investigation. Since we are a small business it really hit us hard.)

By use of surveillance cameras we were able to put together that there was a lockbox located in walk-through alcove (if your property management group has one on your building, be aware they can walk right into your building with a key) that was broken into with a rock. They entered the building and kicked in our back door. Proceeded to remove our entire safe.

Overall it was a two-hour process as we feel they knew what they were doing. They left the premises several times to see if a silent alarm was triggered.

Came back and it took them quite a while to remove the entire safe as it weighed over 300 lbs. and was located in an upstairs office which most people don’t even know we have. They used a cart we had in the storage area to wheel the safe out the door. And we ask if anyone who might have heard (because this had to have been very loud going out across the parking lot) to please contact the police if perhaps they saw a vehicle they were loading the entire cart and safe into. The retail portion of the store was untouched. However, with the holiday weekend and having to close bank accounts etc., it really put us behind with business.

We want to say thank you to everyone who was so supportive to us that following week. It took us some time but we are back up and running. We have been here 35 years and never had this happen before. Always a first time. So everyone needs to be aware. A final Thank you to Officer Ross from SPD for being so patient with Maile Hudson as she very slowly pieced together for them step by step what was missing etc. Was disturbing for all of us. All of SPD was great to respond and were so professional. Nice to know they were a phone call away.

If you have any potential tips in the case, refer to incident # 2019-186834.

Sound & Fog June 24, 2019 (9:03 pm)

This happened to Sound & Fog last fall, same early hour. Two white guys wearing hoddies removed our safe and stole the register cash. I’m so sorry this happened, I know how hard it is to recover from these events. Your camera shots are better than mine, hopefully the police will get somewhere with this.

KD June 24, 2019 (9:31 pm)

I love the folks at Jan’s!! This makes pissed! So, can you all think who in the heck even knows about the upper floor and the safe? Maybe process of elimination of who you’ve told? (They look really young too.. punks!)So Sorry!

Seattlite June 24, 2019 (10:04 pm)

Wow…Those robbers were bold and confident in the amount of time they took to complete their robbery. I love Jan’s Beauty Supply and the people that work there.

Mj June 24, 2019 (10:44 pm)

Hopefully CSI WSB style leads to the perpetrators

Yma June 25, 2019 (12:07 am)

Looks like they knew where the cameras are as well- covering faces.

ScubaFrog June 25, 2019 (1:22 am)

They look really young (although certainly not too young to burglarize). I hope they’re caught and prosecuted, JUSTICE FOR JAN’S!

WTF June 25, 2019 (10:45 am)

I’d be vetting my employees and any service people who were at the business in the past year, and quickly. These PsOS knew exactly where to go. There’s no coincidence of their knowledge of a safe, in an office, few other people knew about.