Indy businesses along 86th Street burglarized overnight

INDIANAPOLIS – Indy police are investigating a string of business burglaries early Monday morning on the city’s north side.

IMPD officials said crooks hit several places near the intersection of 86th Street and Township Line Road before robbing a few more just a block over at 86th and Ditch.

Caracas Sarboso is a new business in the North Willow Commons shopping center. They were burglarized overnight, along with several of their neighbors who say this is a recurring problem.

Security footage shows the suspect approaching the Venezuelan restaurant’s door with a large boulder and using it to smash the glass door.

“While in that same vicinity, in that shopping area, they discovered five other businesses with similar damage that had also been broken into,” said Officer Drew Brown with IMPD.

Oakley’s Bistro a few doors down also featured an empty door frame Monday.

Just streets away, the North Willow Mall also had several shop owners alerted to security alarms.

“This is not the first time. This is probably the third or fourth time in the last year we’ve been hitting along here,” said Rob Laux, owner of Pottery by You and Circle City Candles.

Laux says his stores, along with Athens on 86th and Sweet Things were also targeted. The chocolate shop shared their surveillance video with us as well, where the intruder breaks in the same way. Inside the store, security footage shows the suspect rummaging through the register.

“They cause more in damage than anything they take,” said Laux.  “That’s where the biggest problem is, all the damage that they cause.”

Now small businesses are assessing the cost of repairs.

“It’s very frustrating as far as customers that come in and they’re like, what’s going on here? Is this even a safe place to do business? It’s all boarded up,” said Laux. “It just doesn’t look good. It doesn’t look inviting, doesn’t look welcoming.”

The shop owners want to reassure patrons that their businesses are safe and that investigators are working to get to the bottom of it.

“It’s upsetting when something like this happens,” said Brown. “People work hard at these places and want to feel safe being able to go to these businesses.”

Police ask anyone with information to reach out to their detectives at the Northwest District or Crimestoppers at 317-262-TIPS.