Honolulu police are investigating a rash of early morning burglaries where perpetrators smashed glass doors and took cash registers at several small restaurants in East Honolulu.
The break-ins occurred at the Aina Haina Shopping Center, Koko Marina Shopping Center and Kuono Marketplace at Kahala between 1 and 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Sometime after 1 a.m., thieves smashed the front doors at Aina Haina Chop Suey, Mama Pho Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine and Jack’s Restaurant.
Owner Norman Lee at Jack’s Restaurant said police alerted him at about 1:40 a.m. about the break-in at his establishment where burglars took the cash register. “My wife and I rushed down.”
Like many businesses, Lee said they struggled to stay afloat for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Business at the restaurant began to improve after the state lifted capacity restrictions. “Now that things are slowly picking up again, this happened,” Lee said of the burglary.
At approximately 2 a.m., burglars smashed the glass door at Moena Cafe at the Koko Marina Shopping Center and took off with an iPad and cash box.
Footage from a surveillance video camera at the cafe showed three men entering the restaurant. Based on the footage, the burglary lasted about 1 minute and 15 seconds.
They just smashed the door, grabbed whatever they could get and left, said assistant manager Asia Gosnell. “If anything, I think the glass for the door is going to be more expensive than what they took.”
The glass door at Sophie’s Gourmet Hawaiian Pizzeria located next to the cafe also was shattered. Nothing was taken from the pizzeria.
Bandits also shattered the glass doors at Daiichi Ramen and BB.Q Chicken at Kuono Marketplace, a neighborhood shopping center that opened in Kahala in 2021.
Paul Ke, owner of Daiichi Ramen, said thieves took a cash register from his restaurant at about 2:15 a.m.
Ke said he wants the marketplace property management to hire additional security guards to patrol the grounds, especially after midnight.
The latest string of burglaries occurred following a series of smash-and-grab burglaries at other eateries at shopping centers and strip malls around Oahu in recent weeks and months.
On May 11 burglars smashed the glass doors at Sumo Ramen & Curry and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue at the Market City Shopping Center in Kaimuki. A rock was left behind near shards of glass fronting L&L.
KITV4 had reported police investigating burglaries at the Ewa Town Center on May 12 after bandits shattered glass doors and windows at three restaurants. At least three more businesses at Kapolei Marketplace were targeted in March.
Burglars also smashed windows to businesses at Merchant’s Row and Kailua Shopping Center in April.
At a Wednesday news conference, Glenn Hayashi, acting assistant chief of HPD’s Central Patrol Bureau, said the department is investigating leads into the smash-and-grab burglaries. It’s unclear at this time whether the burglaries in East Honolulu are related to burglaries at other shopping centers in other parts of Oahu such as those in the Ewa Beach and Kailua areas, Hayashi said.
He noted there has been a recent spike in second-degree burglary cases, particularly smash-and-grab burg- laries, although he noted that the 577 year-to-date cases this year are down compared to the 603 last year.
“What we’ve seen is these individuals have been targeting cash registers, tills, safes, cash boxes at these small restaurants and businesses in strip malls, storefronts and neighborhood shopping centers,” Hayashi said. “Suspect vehicles are usually stolen, and they usually use a rock, brick or some other object to shatter the front doors. Other times they’ve pried the doors open.”
Police are patrolling hot spots and areas of concern and is doing targeted enforcement, he added.
Hayashi said it’s often difficult to solve the cases because stolen vehicles are used, suspects are covered head to toe and the quality of available security camera footage is not great. Hayashi recommended that businesses upgrade their security camera systems and install or improve lighting inside and outside of establishments. “Improve your alarm system or put in an alarm system if you don’t have any. Consider glass break sensors with audible sirens,” Hayashi said.
He added that “static security,” or security personnel stationed at one location on the property, is better than roving security and that valuables and large amounts of money should not be kept in stores.
