San Francisco restaurateur fed up after burglars strike 3 times
SAN FRANCISCO - A San Francisco restaurateur fell victim to burglars three times within a span of seven days in the city.
Expressing his frustration, Ken Lowe said, "Just frustrating. I'm a little numb to it," said Ken Lowe on Monday.
The string of incidents began with a break-in into his car. Fortunately, all valuables had been removed, and no items were stolen. The damage was limited to a broken window. Then, both of his restaurants were burglarized.
"The trifecta," he said, chuckling. "I laugh about it because it's happened too many times."
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At about 5 a.m. on Thursday, several men broke into a shed adjacent to Lowe's sushi restaurant, Ace Wasabi, located in the Marina District. They stole $5,000 worth of meat, including wagyu beef, one of the world's most expensive meats.
"We had crab meat, we had lobster meat, we had wagyu beef, we had pork ribs, they took, they cleared out a couple freezers," Lowe said.
Despite the high-value food items taken, Lowe doubts the thieves are food enthusiasts. Before the culprits broke into his restaurant, they attempted to break into a nearby Apple store but were unsuccessful.
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The restaurateur experienced a third incident when he received a call from the San Francisco Police Department on Sunday morning. He assumed it had something to do with the sushi restaurant. However, the incident involved a break-in at his Pinsa Rossa pizzeria in the Fillmore District.
Surveillance footage captured a man breaking into the pizzeria. The thief made off with a cash register with just $5 inside. However, the damage to the restaurant was far greater.
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"Is this going to be our normal way of life?" Lowe asked. "By not holding people accountable, is that really good for society?"
Adjacent to the pizzeria, the Alexis Bittar jewelry store had also been broken into days earlier. Three intruders stole cash, laptops, and $8,000 worth of antique and fashion jewelry.
"I would say at this point we're exhausted. We were initially very upset, it's a very violating experience," said jewelry store manager Alison Spalding.
In another incident, surveillance videos revealed 11 intruders breaking into the Saap Ver Thai restaurant in the South of Market. They made off with $10,000 from the cash register and safe, fleeing in multiple vehicles.
The wave of burglaries raises concerns about public safety and accountability in the community.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.