A clothing store in Santa Ana, California, has fallen victim to a burglary for the third time this year, causing significant distress to its owner. Surveillance footage captured three masked individuals breaking into The Hype Rack and making off with several bags of clothing and merchandise within a matter of minutes.
Brandon Aguilera, the owner, expressed his growing frustration. “They basically came in, took everything they wanted to take, and left, literally, in less than three minutes,” he stated. The estimated financial loss from this incident is around $20,000, which includes the costs for repairing damage to the store’s windows.
What exacerbates the situation is that Aguilera had recently restocked his inventory. “We had just invested about $10,000 worth of clothing. They literally came and took basically everything. Literally on Monday, we restocked and got hit on Wednesday,” he lamented. The quick succession of these incidents leaves him questioning the future of his business.
Video footage from the store shows the suspects fleeing the scene quickly, first dashing down the stairs and then running across the parking lot. Aguilera has taken steps to address the issue, including filing police reports and reaching out to city officials to explore additional security measures for his business.
Despite these efforts, Aguilera remains uncertain about how much longer he can sustain his operations if burglaries continue to occur. “It’s emotional because it hurts. It really does hurt,” he remarked. “Because we recently restocked, so imagine restocking and then getting robbed. Right now, we’re in a pretty deep hole.”
The Santa Ana Police Department is investigating the incident and encourages anyone with information about the suspects to come forward. As Aguilera contemplates the future of The Hype Rack, he hopes for a resolution that will allow him to continue serving the community without the looming threat of theft.
