SEATTLE — Akashdeep Singh’s family has owned A Pizza Mart in West Seattle for 30 years.
Singh said the last few years have been challenging because burglars and robbers continually target them. Last weekend, someone broke in and destroyed their front door.
“They came here and took our cash register, checkbooks, all the cash,” Singh said. "We are very afraid from this."
On top of what was stolen, it’s going to cost between $4,000-5,000 to replace the door. Singh said his family has also been robbed at gunpoint. They’re afraid someone will eventually get hurt or worse, be killed.
As the Singh’s deal with issues thrust upon them, the business to their left in the strip mall, Global Smoke and Vape Shop, has become a target for smash-and-grab burglaries.
"They were robbed like three, four times this month," Singh said. "They were robbed twice last week."
KING 5 previously reported on the costly break-ins; at the time, the owner, who wanted to conceal his identity, said he was out at least $10,000 for all the products that had been stolen. After dealing with seven smash-and-grabs, he had metal poles installed in front of his store. The poles worked for months until this past Saturday.
Surveillance video showed two cars entering the strip mall parking lot around 3:20 a.m. After a few seconds, the driver of one of the cars slammed into the storefront in reverse, taking out some of the metal poles.
However, before the burglars could steal anything, they noticed a car approaching the parking lot. The group of at least four people jumped into the other car and drove off. Because this has happened so many times, the owner was parked around the corner. As soon as the glass broke, he was notified. The owner followed the car. At this time, the Seattle Police Department has not made any arrests or put out a description of the people they believe are involved.
For Singh, being under constant threat from burglars and robbers is not how his family wants to spend the rest of their working years.
"My parents are thinking about selling this business because it's very dangerous for us,” Singh said.
The owner of Global Smoke and Vape Shop told KING 5 in the past he does not plan to close the shop. He’s doing all he can to protect his livelihood. He’d like to see police do more patrols considering the frequency at which his business has been targeted. A Seattle police spokesperson said they do patrols when officers have the time.
State legislators have taken notice of this problem. Senate Bill 6133 would add an additional year of prison time if someone is convicted of driving a car through a dispensary to rob it. However, the bill only applies to cannabis dispensaries.
The proposal passed out of the Senate. The House Committee on Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry is scheduled to hear the legislation on Tuesday.