Norfolk Police detectives are asking the public to help identify a suspect believed responsible for break-ins at two local businesses this month, including a failed attempt at a shop on E. Virginia Beach Boulevard and a burglary at a longtime Tidewater Drive diner where items were taken.
According to WAVY.com, police received a report of an unsuccessful break-in attempt at 2932 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard on October 11. Just over a week before that, on October 2, Tony's Diner at 3200 Tidewater Drive reported a commercial burglary in which items were stolen, and officers responded to the restaurant to investigate.
Anyone with information about the suspect or either incident is asked to call the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, and anonymous tips can also be submitted through the P3Tips mobile app. Information leading to an arrest may qualify for a cash reward, though no specific dollar amount has been disclosed.
Help Norfolk Police identify suspects in commercial burglaries. Recognize someone involved? Call @nfvacrimeline at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit an anonymous tip using the P3Tips mobile app. — Norfolk Police Department on X
A Troubled History at the Virginia Beach Boulevard Address
The address on E. Virginia Beach Boulevard has seen repeated break-in activity before. Officers were called to SBL Headwear & Socks, located at that same 2932 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard address, on May 1 and May 3, 2024, to investigate thefts, per the same account from WAVY.com. Detectives at the time obtained security footage reportedly showing a man entering the store around 3:30 a.m. on a Wednesday and 6:30 a.m. on a Friday to take merchandise.
That wasn't an isolated run of bad luck. The business experienced a string of five separate break-ins over a two-week period in 2022, and its owners said burglars had stolen more than $20,000 in merchandise from the shop over two years. In response, the owners installed metal bars on the windows, added more cameras and put in outdoor motion detectors, WAVY reported.
Pattern of Appeals From Norfolk Police
This is not the only recent case in which Norfolk Police have turned to the public for help spotting a commercial burglary suspect. The department has previously sought help identifying a group believed to be involved in burglaries at car dealerships, according to a notice from the City of Norfolk. A separate 2026 appeal from the city sought help identifying a man believed to be involved in a different commercial burglary.
It remains unclear whether anyone has been arrested or charged in connection with the October incidents at Tony's Diner and the Virginia Beach Boulevard business. For now, investigators are relying on the public to help close the gap, using the same tip channels — the Norfolk Crime Line and the P3Tips app — that have become standard in the department's recent string of commercial burglary appeals.
