A man smashed through the front door of Soul Café in Oklahoma City's Paseo District early Thursday, rifled through the cash register, grabbed the money inside and then stared directly into the security camera before walking out. Supervisor Brooklyn Smootie said she arrived for her shift to a scene of shattered glass scattered across the café floor, just as the small business prepares to mark its first anniversary in the neighborhood.
Security footage shows the suspect smashing through the door, rummaging through the register and stealing money before looking straight at the camera and leaving, according to koco.com. Smootie described the moment she walked in and found the mess. “I remember I came in for my shift and glass was everywhere,” she said. Per News 9, the man entered through Soul Café's shattered front door, went straight to the register, and took cash and nothing else.
A Difficult Morning for a Café Nearing Its First Anniversary
Smootie told News 9 that walking in to find the damage was difficult, calling the break-in particularly upsetting and saying she felt shocked, angry and heartbroken. The café is preparing to celebrate its first anniversary in the Paseo District and now faces unexpected costs to repair the damage, the station's report notes. Soul Café had planned to put the stolen cash toward that milestone as it approached its first year in the neighborhood, per News 9.
The financial hit went beyond what was taken from the register. Soul Café replaced its damaged door, and according to News 9, the cost of that repair came in higher than the amount of cash the man stole. Smootie said the café, like any small business, has to push through the financial impact and keep moving forward.
Community Steps In to Help Clean Up
Regular customers and community members showed up to help Soul Café recover, sweeping up glass and offering support in the aftermath. “Thankfully, we've had a lot of people come and help us out. Like even clean up glass,” Smootie said, according to koco.com. She urged customers to keep supporting the café as it recovers from the break-in.
Soul Café also changed its security measures following the incident, per the same account from News 9. The business said it believes other nearby businesses may have been broken into around the same time, given how close together the shops in the district sit, though the evidence does not connect the incidents to one another. Soul Café said it is the only business it knows of that captured surveillance video of the incident.
Second Business Hit, Suspect Descriptions Match
Police said another business, the Flamingo Tiki Room, was also burglarized, with the suspect matching the same description given for the Soul Café incident, according to koco.com. The timing of the two incidents was similar, though no evidence has tied the cases together beyond the matching description police cited.
Smootie said she hopes the surveillance footage will help police identify the man, and Soul Café is asking anyone who recognizes him or has information to contact the Oklahoma City Police Department. She also encouraged neighboring businesses to keep a close watch on their own properties. The @koco5news account on Threads shared the surveillance footage of the break-in as the story spread through the neighborhood.
