String Of Smash & Grab Burglaries Hit Hialeah

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HIALEAH (CBSMiami) -- Police are investigating a string of store burglaries in Hialeah that are believed to have been done by the same group of crooks.

Surveillance from three cellphone stores captured the crimes on camera.

In it, a group of four young men, typically all with their faces covered, are seen smashing into the front of the store with a sledgehammer and stealing merchandise. At one point, the burglars are brazen enough to even turn on the lights.

"Damage was very big. Like, they break a lot of stuff. Window cases, the door and most of the phones are missing," said Marcos Rivera, a store owner.

In each incident, the crooks clean out the store of its phones, cash and electronics within minutes. The crime spree occurring only after store hours.

"It's insane. We have an alarm with a good camera system but even with that, they came in the middle of the night. Like, nobody seems to hear nothing, though they break through the front door," said Rivera.

The first store targeted was located near Ludlam Rd and West 35th Street. The two other stores were near Ludlam Rd and West 29th Street.

With no arrests announced, store owners, managers and employees want these men caught. And they hope to get back any of the $20,000 in cash and items stolen in the crime spree.

"We've been here for five years and we never had a problem. But we have a big one now," Rivera said.