Business Owners On Alert After Rash Of Burglaries

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) --- A rash of recent burglaries has business owners in Shadyside on alert. A number of bars have been hit, a few of them hit several times.

Police say the suspects may be the same people who stole from businesses in another part of town.

The William Penn Tavern closed around 3:00a.m. Thursday morning, but when the owner Rich Rattner arrived to the Tavern at 6:30a.m., he found a back window smashed.

"You always feel violated in that situation. Your first reaction is not a very rational one at that point, Rattner says. "You look at the situation and realize no one was hurt and money can be replaced. You feel fortunate in that respect."

The burglars broke open the cash registers then searched the restaurant until they discovered the cash.

Shortly after, the burglars left.

This was not the case for a bar located one block away called 'Stack'd.' When the burglars broke in, no cash was found and the place was trashed.

"To get a call at 9:00 in the morning saying someone broke in, it's just disbelief," Jamie Rodgers says.

At least six bars or taverns in Shadyside's Regent Square area have been hit over the last couple of weeks.

"Based on all the information we have, it does look like they are connected. You just take the proximity of the businesses, the type of business, the time they are occurring and what they target once they do gain entry, says Sergeant Kevin Gasiorowski of the Pittsburgh Police Burglary Squad.

In some cases, police say the burglars don't retrieve anything. In other cases, there are reports that up to $3800 was stolen in one burglary incident.

Pittsburgh Police are now looking to the public for any piece information.

RELATED LINKS:
More Related Stories
More Local News
More Latest News