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West Seattle businesses hit by thieves
Thieves were caught on camera, breaking into a popular West Seattle restaurant on Wednesday. While no cash was taken, the owners say it will take time to recover.
WEST SEATTLE, Wash. - Thieves were caught on camera breaking into a popular restaurant along Alki in West Seattle on Wednesday.
No cash was taken, but the owners of Fire Tacos say for a small business — especially during the off season — the impact is already being felt.
Despite the break-in, Fire Tacos has kept its doors open. The thieves forced their way in through an emergency exit. What took them three minutes, the owner says, will take time to recover from.
Security cameras inside Fire Tacos in West Seattle capture thieves during break-in
The backstory:
Erika Torres and her husband, Jorge, started selling birria tacos using her grandfather’s recipe out of their home during the pandemic. Word of mouth spread, so they quit their 9-to-5 jobs and opened a food truck in Kent.
Four years ago, they officially got the keys to their brick-and-mortar location on Alki. With a second location set to open soon in Capitol Hill, their success story was interrupted Wednesday.
"I have something very difficult to share," Torres said in an Instagram video she posted a few hours after the incident.
"We did come in, and we did see that the door was broken into. Also multiple cameras as well were broken," Torres said.
Torres said it was about 4:30 a.m. when the alarm company called. She said the alarm trips easily and initially thought it might be a false alarm — until she saw the busted doorknob, damage inside and reviewed backup cameras the thieves didn’t disable.
"A lot of sentimental values were taken and a couple iPads," Torres said.
Video shared by Torres shows two people making their way through the restaurant, first going to the cash register.
"We don't carry cash here, so we always make sure we leave everything open so they can see that there's no cash here," Torres said.
Security cameras inside Fire Tacos in West Seattle capture thieves during break-in
Another camera angle shows them leaving the office with a large box. Inside were items customers had brought back from their trips — gifts from the community that she says cannot be replaced — along with iPads they intended to use at their second location.
"It seemed like they were here for three minutes and they went exactly where they had to go," Torres said.
Local perspective:
Torres said it’s hard to know whether the break-in was targeted, but she noted neighboring businesses have also had problems with thieves.
"It made me get really angry and really sad as well because we work really hard," Torres said.
West Seattle businesses along Alki Avenue (FOX 13 Seattle)
FOX 13 reached out to several businesses that confirmed multiple break-ins and said they have since implemented no-cash policies.
"If it wasn’t for the community we wouldn’t be where we’re at," Torres said.
Torres said they filed a police report online. The restaurant is adding more security cameras and reinforcing doors.
For now, the owners say they are focused on staying open and leaning on the same community that helped build the restaurant in the first place.
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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.