South Los Angeles barbershop's pet cat stolen during Thanksgiving Day burglary

A South Los Angeles barbershop is desperate for the return of their beloved pet cat, which was taken during a Thanksgiving Day burglary. 

It happened at around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27, at LA Fresh Cuts Barbershop, which is located in the 1800 block of E. Florence Avenue, according to the store's owner, Joe Gomez. 

Surveillance camera footage shows the moments the suspects used a pickup truck to ram the front of the shop, destroying the front door and window to gain entry. Once inside, the three alleged burglars took the shop's barber machines, tools, merchandise and a car belonging to the owners. They also took a cash jackpot for a fantasy football league that the shop runs for its clients.

On top of all of that, the owners say that their beloved Savannah cat named Simba was also taken. The security footage shows two of the suspects leaving the store with a large kennel. 

"He is with me more than my kids, you can only imagine how I feel right now," Gomez said. "It is like losing a child."

He says that Simba is more than a pet, but a family member. He keeps him at the shop because he's not able to keep him at his family's home at the moment, Gomez said. He's worried that his specific needs might not be met after he was taken. 

"Simba is going to be scared, he is going to get really loud and I am just afraid that they are going to open that cage up and hit him or do what they have to do to make him quiet," Gomez said. 

Though he estimates that there were about $14,000 worth of losses from the burglary, his only hope is that his cat is brought back to its home. 

"I am cutting hair, and I am so used to him playing with my clients or running around. Me having to tell him something, there's no Simba to tell anything to right now," Gomez said. 

He says that he's started a GoFundMe to try and help cover the damages that his shop sustained. It can be found by searching for the keywords: "Help Us Rebuild and Find Simba."

Detectives told Gomez that they were able to get a license plate for the truck from the security video, which they are also reviewing in hopes of finding additional leads.