TAMPA, FLORIDA: A manhunt is on for a Florida man, who ransacked a local restaurant’s storage area and stole approximately $11,000 worth of meat and cooking ingredients.
The Tampa Police Department confirmed that a male suspect was caught on camera breaking into well-known neighborhood eatery Bayshore Mediterranean Grill from the backdoor on Thursday, August 17.
In the surveillance footage, the Florida man is seen using a large pair of pliers to pry the storage door open and entering the restaurant, according to NY Post.
Officers noted that he stole $10,885 worth of fresh meats and cooking ingredients. The restaurant owners also told WFLA that the Florida man stole from the restaurant twice last week and returned to steal again, despite increased security.
Who is stealing from Bayshore Mediterranean Grill?
“He does not seem to care, he looks right at the camera, so it’s been really disheartening and disappointing,” said Katy Davisson, a restaurant employee.
“He has to be local; he’s carrying out all of this meat, and we haven’t seen a car,” she added. Owners of the restaurant claim that the intruder took their fresh meat supply, Turkish spices, beer, and other side items.
“It’s been a bit challenging because now we have to go shopping and that’s a big shopping haul. We have to order all of our food again,” Davisson said.
Restaurant owners believe that the Florida man is jumping a fence at the back of the restaurant to steal the supply. Although they’ve added extra security and locks, that hasn’t stopped the thief from coming back.
Tampa police have launched an investigation into the case and hope to identify the male suspect captured on video. Deputies claim to have been gathering information and following up on leads in this case.
They are asking the community to watch surveillance footage to help them identify the suspect. Anyone with information that could help identify the suspect involved in the burglary is asked to call Tampa Police at 813-231-6130.
Similar Incident
This incident came just a few days after another Florida man was arrested for allegedly stealing at least $1,000 worth of lobster from a Miami eatery.
Joseph Paul Putzulu, 55, was arrested on August 5 and was later charged with two felony counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure and one count of third-degree grand theft.
The Miami Police Department launched an investigation into the case on June 26 when the restaurant owner called 911 after discovering his eatery’s food freezer wide open.
When the business owner reviewed the security footage, he recognized the suspect as the individual who had stolen multiple packets of lobsters from the restaurant on July 23.
Surveillance video from July 23 allegedly shows Putzulu loading the lobster packs into a garbage bin. He then threw the garbage bin and a hand truck over the fence and fled.
The Florida man was seen doing the same in the July 26 video footage. The owner said that the stolen lobsters were worth over $1,000.
