WHITE CENTER, Wash. — A White Center grocery store was burglarized early Tuesday morning when four thieves crashed a vehicle into the front entrance, clearing a path for them to steal thousands of dollars in vape products.
"They don't respect anything," said Chris Oh, the owner of Shorewood Grocery.
The business, located at the intersection of Southwest 106th Street and 26th Avenue Southwest, was hit around 3:30 a.m. on May 7.
"They just want to do what they want. They say 'I want this' and just do it. They don't care about others," said Oh.
He shared the store's surveillance footage with KING 5. It shows four people arrive in two separate cars. One of the vehicles was used to back into the store entrance, allowing the people to walk inside.
A separate camera angle shows them quickly filling bags with vape products before getting into the other vehicle and driving away, leaving the first car behind.
Oh estimates they got away with up to $3,000 worth of products.
"I have to close down the store one or two days, maybe a maximum of one week. Who knows? This impacts a lot of people," said Oh. "This is kind of fun to them, I believe."
It's the second time his market has been hit.
On June 12, 2023, thieves rammed into the building and used a cable to rip the ATM out.
After reviewing the footage, Oh said he does not believe the same people were involved. The King County Sheriff's Office said no suspects had been identified, but they believe at least one of the vehicles was stolen.
Throughout the day, contractors replaced a missing support beam and boarded the entrance up with plywood.
As the work continued, customers kept walking by in hopes of shopping, only to be turned away.
"Everyone loves this store. The people are so nice. All the stuff you need is there. To seem them have to go through this again and all the expense, it's just terrible," said Brian Peyton, who said he shops at the store regularly. "I get my lottery tickets here ... try to patronize a small business."
Engineers will need to sign off on the building before it can be reopened, Oh said.