The entrances of six Malibu restaurants and stores were reported broken into. A Sheriff’s deputy said it appeared that somebody was looking for cash and credit card receipts.
By Johalmo Morales/Special to The Malibu Times
A series of break-ins at Malibu businesses took place during late night Wednesday and early hours of Thursday last week.
Malibu Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station detectives are currently investigating the incidents that occurred at Geoffrey’s Restaurant, Beau Rivage, Tradinoi, Malibu Seafood, the Reel Inn Fresh Fish Restaurant and Crush Boutique, a clothing store. All the businesses are located on Pacific Coast Highway except for Crush Boutique, which is located in the Malibu Creek Plaza. Lt. Randall Dickey described the incidents as “smash the front door type robberies.” He would not release the order of the incidents because he said it could harm the ongoing investigation.
Jeff Peterson, owner of Geoffrey’s, was called by Sheriff’s deputies to secure the restaurant around 3 a.m. “I ran into the guy [the robber] after the police left,” he said. “It was surreal.”
Dickey said the mayhem appeared to be the work of a person who wanted to steal cash or credit card receipts for the purpose of committing identity theft. However, no credit card receipts were taken and cash ($200) was only reported stolen from Crush Boutique. Blue jeans were also reported missing from the store.
An individual was detained by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, but was not positively identified. Lt. Dickey said he remains a “person of interest.”
Daniel Forge, owner of Beau Rivage restaurant and who lives behind the establishment, said he awoke to the sound of the alarm going off between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 8. Sheriff’s deputies were inside the restaurant by the time Forge arrived. A cash register that sits behind the bar was empty at the time and it did not appear the suspect had attempted to break into it. Nothing was reported missing from the restaurant.
According to a Sheriff’s deputy’s report, there was $100 worth of damages made to two doors that were pried open. “They are wasting their time looking for money because we don’t keep it in the register overnight,” Forge said. He also said this was the first instance of a break-in in a long time.
While an employee for Tradinoi said nothing was missing, according to another Sheriff’s deputy’s report, the entrance door received damages estimated at $260 and two cash registers received $100 worth of pry marks.
Crush Boutique also had a damaged door.
Assistant Editor Jonathan Friedman and reporter Damien Weaver contributed to this story.