Owners of burglarized Minneapolis bar Lush hopeful about progress in police investigation

Prosecutors have charged a man in a string of burglaries across the Twin Cities. A Minneapolis business says it's a perfect reason to celebrate.

Set up was underway for Dragapalooza at Lush Lounge and Theater in northeast Minneapolis on Friday.

"It's going to be just like a music festival. Just think about those big stages like Lollapalooza, all local drag and drag-focused," said Andy Rausch.

Rausch and Jared Lawrence, who are co-owners of Lush, were in a celebratory mood. They've been living on edge after three men broke into the bar.

Video shows how they found a safe and kicked it down a flight of stairs before getting away with it. The thieves were inside for less than four minutes.

Police believe the three individuals involved in the incident could be connected to 15 burglaries across the metro.

"All that we know is that person has been involved in five other cases that I think they are linking him to," said Rausch.

The break-in had staff at Lush concerned, giving them more reason to celebrate during Pride weekend.

"It was a bump in the road, but like, so much this community has had to endure over the years, it was just that, a bump in the road, and we overcome it and we keep moving forward," said Lawrence.

While investigators continue to process DNA evidence in connection with the incident, Rausch and Lawrence are thankful for community who stood by them when times got tough.

"The community has come together the last couple of months. We've seen the community coming just to visit us, drop by, have a drink, maybe bring their friends here. And it's really nice to see because it really showcases how community-driven this neighborhood is," said Rausch.

Lush owners say they have not gotten any money back from the stolen safe.

Police say they continue to process DNA collected at the scene of the burglaries and expect more arrests soon.