COCOA, Fla. — A pawn shop burglary took less than two minutes. Thieves backed a mini-van into the front doors of a Cocoa store and broke into it.
"They were in and out in a minute and a half, and being so close to the police department, as brazen as it is," pawn shop owner Jim Davis said.
The search is on for the two burglars who drove the van right through the front of the Cocoa pawn shop on Lake Drive. Once the thieves smashed their way into the Florida Cracker Pawn Shop Monday night, they headed straight for five showcases filled with jewelry.
RAW VIDEO: Surveillance Records Pawn Shop Smash And Grab AT THE SCENE: Brazen Crooks Rob Pawn Shop VIDEO REPORT: Minivan Used To Break Into Store
Eyewitness News was the first to show the surveillance video that shows how the two thieves broke through the front of the pawn shop with a white mini-van at 11:15pm Monday. Once inside the store, the crooks shattered five glass cases that were filled with watches, fine jewelry and gun ammunition.
The Cocoa police station is just two blocks away and the pawn shop has been burglarized four times before in the same way. That is why the owners decided to install the surveillance cameras that captured video of the thieves in the act. They also constructed a brick barrier around the base of the building to try to prevent this particular smash and grab method.
Now, the owners' only hope is that someone recognizes the white mini-van the thieves used to get in and out of the place as quickly as they did.
"Yes, it angers me because what they stole isn't worth the damage they did to my building," pawn shop owner Dave Bradley said.
Investigators said, from the surveillance system, they know the crooks were only in the store for about two minutes. But they were able to break glass cabinets, snatching jewelry and ammunition. The store owners were double-checking their inventory, unsure whether the thieves also stole a shotgun.
The thieves may have known they were being videotaped. The license plate was missing from the van and hooded sweatshirts shrouded their faces. The owners are keeping their hopes up they will be caught.
"Hopefully somebody will call in and say, 'Yeah, hey, I know that car,' or 'I know who that is,' or 'I know the outfit that kid is wearing,'" Bradley said.
Their store has been burglarized four times before. They figure they can't wall off the entire store.
"You got to have some kind of light coming in so people can see your stuff, you know," Davis said.
But not even the concrete barrier they installed worked to keep the latest thieves from smashing their way in. Because the thieves knew where to go and were in and out so fast, the owners believe they actually cased the store before the smash and grab.
Anyone who thinks they may have any information related to this crime is asked to call the Cocoa Police Department.
WFTV
