After security footage caught a violent burglary at a Ballard convenient store on the morning of March 1, the police report has been released and it reveals details that are similar to at least four grab-and-dash burglaries at convenient stores in Ballard that have happened in the last six months. The running nerve in all the incidents has been the theft of cigarettes---lots of them.

The most recent burglary occurred around 2:15 a.m. at a convenient store located on the 8000 NW 85 St. The security footage and police report revealed a suspect used a pry bar to open the front doors of the store. Once opened, the suspect made a b-line to the cigarette counter and pulled a large garbage bin behind him. The suspect grabbed rows of cigarettes down from above the counter, amassing cartons in his bin. Then like a raging bull the suspect ripped the till away from the counter, and dragged most of the counter contents onto the floor. Then the man gimped out of site with the smokes.

Police later found the garbage bin in the parking lot. The matching lid to the bin was found inside the convenient store. 10 to 20 cigarette cartons were stolen (valued at $60.00 to $70.00). Luckily, there was no cash in the register at the time of the incident. The cost to replace the door is estimated to be $600.

Security footage shows a clear picture of the man’s face, but midway through the burglary the man put on a mask. Police describe the suspect as white male with medium to stocky build and approximately six feet tall. The suspect appeared to be in his 40s. The suspect wore a brown beanie cap and a black North Face jacket.

The Ballard News-Tribune surveyed past Ballard Crime Watch entries and discovered a staggering occurrence of burglaries similar to the March 1 incident. Details in each crime reveal a trend in burglar strategies. To show all details, here are the reports as written from the BNT blotter:

Note:Seattle Police have not determined that the suspect from the March 1 crime is the same suspect in any of these reports.

Cigarette thief heaves rock through window, takes smokes
On October 10, officers responded to a burglary at the 800 block of Northwest 85th Street. A witness told officers that she saw a man run from a business late in the night. The man had packages of cigarettes and was wheezing and sweating profusely. He ran through some bushes and into an alleyway near the building. A K9 unit tried to track the suspect, but the trail ended in the alley. The poor dog gathered the man’s scent from cigarette butts. The business owner arrived and unlocked the store. Officers cleared the building. The business owner reported that the suspect took a large amount of cigarettes. Surveillance footage showed a man wearing a mask and gloves throw a large rock through the glass window. He then climbed in and grabbed the smokes and fled. The business owner reported $5,000 in damages and stolen goods.

POOF…Cig-slave strikes again…danger...the smoke may never clear
On September 18, officers were dispatched to a burglary that occurred at the 200 block of Northwest Market Street. The business owner said that when he arrived to work he noticed that the back door was open. 80 packs of smokes were missing from the store. The suspect also took a keyboard and a mouse, but not the computer monitor from the business desk. Cash was also taken from the register. The complainant noticed unopened cigarette containers in the alleyway. The business owner thinks that the crook must have had a key to his shop because there was no forced entry. Approximately $1476.00 in damages and product loss was reported.

Cig-pigs make off with bins and bins; smoke-gluttons leave evidence
On September 14, a burglary was reported at a business on the 2800 block of Northwest Market Street. The complainant showed officers surveillance footage of the incident. Two suspect wearing hoodies and carrying plastic garbage bins pried open the main door of the business using a heavy metal pry bar. Once inside, they removed the lids of the cans and rushed behind the counter. They grabbed as many cigarettes and miscellaneous items as they could. One suspect had a hard time keeping his hood on and his face was revealed as the two fled the scene. Officers observed that the garbage bin lids had numbers on them associated with home addresses on that block. They noticed that the corresponding townhome down the street was missing its bins. In addition, officers also noticed that security cameras from neighboring businesses were directed down the street. Officers contacted business owners to obtain security footage.

Gambling goon tears through wall for the scratch of lotto tickets and cigarettes
On June 19 a burglar entered a business at the 5900 block of 15th Avenue Northwest. Officers made contact with the business owner who said that the store had been locked but that his alarm company reported to him that a back door had been opened. The suspect entered the business by going through the wall of an adjoining tax business. The suspect took 35 cartons of cigarettes and an unknown amount of lottery scratch tickets. The complainant told officers he tried to contact the tax business owner but was unsuccessful.