Wallingford, Seattle businesses targeted in string of brazen break-ins

Brazen thieves hit multiple Wallingford businesses

Several small businesses in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood have been hit by a string of break-ins, with the brazen thieves making one owner now feel vulnerable.

SEATTLE - Several small businesses in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood were recently hit by a string of brazen break-ins.

The backstory:

Surveillance cameras at Changes Bar and Grill captured two people breaking into the business on April 8 at 7:15 a.m.

Floyd McIsaac has owned Changes for 37 years. He says he feels violated by what happened.

"It was very disturbing to watch them because they had what looked like professional tools to do this," McIsaac said.

The thieves are seen ransacking the bar, stealing a quarter machine on the wall, and taking the cash box attached to a dart board.

In total, the thieves got away with $1,000-$1,500, but the damage they did to the door and back area costs around $2,000 to repair.

"There’s been a lot of businesses broken into in the neighborhood here, the restaurant next door twice," McIsaac said.

Dig deeper:

Less than a mile away, the Sock Monster was hit by thieves on April 11, getting away with merchandise, cash and computers.

In a Facebook post, the Sock Monster said it appears the thieves jammed their security system as they have no footage inside the store, and the alarm never went off.

The business now displays a boarded-up window and a closed sign, remaining closed for the week.

"Small businesses like this, we’re having a tough time right now, especially since the pandemic, and it hurts when they do this sort of thing," McIsaac said.

McIsaac reported the break-in to police, but since this happened he says he feels vulnerable, so much so that he checks his security cameras every morning before going into the bar.

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