An unfortunate turn of events struck the cherished Mitchell's Ice Cream shop in San Francisco, as burglars shattered the peace of the long-standing establishment with a break-in and vandalism early last Friday. The perpetrators forced entry by demolishing a large plate glass window, according to ABC7 News. Surveillance footage timestamped at 3:30 a.m. shows the invaders' failed attempt to remove a hefty padlock from the entrance, later resorting to bolt cutters to breach the storefront.
Linda Mitchell, co-owner of the shop, shared the harrowing details of the intrusion. "They went in through the window. Went to the back. Tried to steal the safe which is bolted down. And they really left with nothing but a bag of cookies," Mitchell told ABC7 News. The estimated cost to replace the violated window stands at $5,000, yet in face of adversity, the ice cream shop remains open to the public as San Francisco police continue their investigation with no arrests made thus far.
Adding to the narrative, Mitchell's Ice Cream shared a more personal account of the incident via their Instagram page. The post recounts how five men smashed their way into the shop at around 3:00 am, tried to carry off a securely fastened safe, and escaped with merely a bag of cookies when the alarm sounded, and police showed up ten minutes later. "This is a warning to our fellow small business owners: Be sure to leave your cash registers open so thieves can see there’s nothing in them, and put all of your cash, checks, etc. in a safe that’s bolted to the ground", advises the post from Mitchell's Ice Cream on Instagram, while also calling attention to recent burglaries in the neighborhood, including the nearby Rock Bar.
The Instagram post concludes with a resolve to take measures against future incidents, "Our next step is to do what we can to make sure they never come back!!" as the business and community remain vigilant.
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