Attempted break-in at Ballard tobacco shop foiled by laminated glass

BALLARD, Washington — In Ballard, potential thieves were deterred thanks to a security measure a company installed after the last break-in.

Witnesses in the area were awakened when someone attempted to ram a car through the facade of One Stop Smoke on 24th Avenue NW overnight.

Employees told KOMO News that this was the fourth time this had happened in recent years, but this time the thieves were unable to break in because they had installed laminated glass after the last incident.

SEE ALSO | Seattle business owners’ frustration grows after string of break-ins on one block

The photos provided by a witness show the car abandoned by the suspects.

Employees said they had installed gates and other security measures after previous break-ins, but the laminated glass was harder to break even with the force of a car trying to break through.

A witness said he woke up at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning to the sound of the impact and saw a young man in a hoodie running around the corner screaming and then getting into a getaway car.

“There was a car parked in the corner and it was speeding. Someone came running from the other side of the corner, I couldn’t see into the car, and they shouted: ‘Go, go, go!’ and they quickly made off,” said Bramley Birrer, who heard the accident.

It is unclear whether the car used in the attempted break-in was stolen, and Seattle police have not yet responded to a request for more information about the incident.

SEE ALSO | Lack of police response to repeated break-ins frustrates Seattle business owners

“It was frustrating to hear (the business owner) talking to the officer and listing the other incidents that they had been affected by, and he was just frustrated because it didn’t seem like there was anything that could be done or anything was going to come of it, and he was just trying to figure out how he could hopefully protect himself better next time,” Birrer said, adding that it took police about 40 minutes to respond to the incident.

Meanwhile, employees said that the suspects were unable to get into the store this time and fortunately nothing was stolen. However, goods worth tens of thousands of dollars have been lost in the past.

“I know the police are understaffed, but when you call, they don’t come,” said Liz Miller, the owner of the store next door. “What can you do? By then, they’re already gone.”