Unicity businesses frustrated after string of smash-and-grab robberies: ‘We can’t afford this’

Winnipeg business owners in the Unicity area say they are frustrated after a string of robberies targeting cash registers.

A man could be seen on security video smashing the glass on two doors of the Chicken Chef restaurant on Dec. 27, before making his way behind the counter to steal the till.

Owner Lori Lucas said no money was inside.

“He got nothing,” Lucas said. “Nothing at all, which serves him right.”

After the break-in, Lucas got in touch with nearby businesses and said she heard about 17 several similar incidents that all occurred within the last few weeks.

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“We can’t afford this,” she said. “Not only just myself, but I’m talking about the other small businesses.”

D-Jay’s Restaurant Ichabod’s Lounge & Patio was hit twice, according to owner Robert Johnson.

Early Christmas Day, a suspect smashed through the glass door, went behind the bar counter and stole the till, which Johnson said had $100 in it.

Johnson believes it was the same man who broke in again on Dec. 30 and tried, but failed, to steal money from the VLTs.

“It’s the upset of the windows being smashed,” Johnson said.

“We have to come in, clean that up, clean everything else up, the other messes they make and the cost. A lot of people in the area have been feeling it too much lately.”

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Winnipeg police said they are investigating a number of break-ins in the area, but can’t say how many because investigators are reviewing reports that were recently made.

No arrests have been made.