Smoke shop 'wiped out' by thieves in SF's Richmond

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Surveillance video shows two carloads of burglars breaking into a San Francisco smoke shop in the middle of the night, ransacking the store and making off with its safe. The burglary happened at Cigarettes Cheaper at 17th Avenue and Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District at about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday.

"They came inside. They were inside the store for almost 18 minutes," said Bashir Naderi, a partner in the shop.

"Garbage bags, a bunch of containers they had, unloading all the cigarettes and, as you can see, seven guys in 18 minutes. They pretty much wiped out the whole store. They even ended up taking the safe too," Naderi added.

Video corroborates Naderi statement and shows one intruder carrying the safe away.

The burglars made off with about 500 cartons of cigarettes and the safe – a total loss of about $100,000, Naderi said.

The thieves also trashed his store and left the place in shambles. Crews spent much of the day cleaning up the mess.

"California, especially the Bay Area is going downhill. The police got to do something. The police don't show up. They didn't do anything. These guys notice, they come here. They know the protocol," Naderi said.

Naderi has this message for the thieves.

"Why us, man? Just a minority, just like you guys, you know. Go get a job. Go do something else. This is all B.S. man," he said.

"You're not taking from big corporations. This is not some big company you're robbing. We have a family to feed," Naderi added.

Anyone who recognizes these burglars or their cars, an Infiniti G37 and BMW, is asked to contact San Francisco police.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and facebook.com/henrykleefan