Group targets, burglarizes Detroit businesses

Police take 1998 blue Dodge Dakota to comb for potential evidence

DETROIT – A group of men is targeting business on Detroit’s west side, police said Sunday.

Three break-ins and attempted break-ins were reported from Friday to early Sunday morning, according to the Detroit Police Department.

A business involved in Project Green Light -- meaning the owners have invested in high-tech security cameras and Detroit police could be watching in real-time -- was among the businesses hit. The store, University Foods Market, sits in the University Foods plaza, near Midtown.

But that didn’t deter the thieves from breaking in.

Detroit police said it’s likely that the three break-ins are connected. 

Thieves targeted businesses on West Grand Boulevard and West Warren Avenue within a span of about 48 hours. The first was a liquor store that was broken into at 4:45 a.m. Friday. The next two incidents happened between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

The situation started Friday, police said, when two men backed a 1998 blue Dodge Dakota into the front doors of the Grand Cru Liquor Store.

There was no visible damage and the owners did not want to talk about what happened. 

Early Sunday morning marked the incident at University Foods. The men got through a glass door and stole cigarettes, the store’s safe and some money.

The men were in a dark blue or black Dodge Dakota pickup truck with a 4x4 sticker on the rear tailgate, police said.

The third break-in took place about 30 minutes before the University Foods burglary. The men tried getting into a business a few miles away, on West Warren Avenue and McGraw Street. 

In the first break-in, police said, the thieves left the Dodge Dakota behind.  It’s being processed for potential evidence.


About the Author:

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism