DETROIT – Police say one person is now in custody in connection with a smash-and-grab burglary at a convenience store on Detroit’s east side early Monday morning.
Police responded to Little Mike Express, located in the 12300 block of East McNichols Road, at about 5:30 a.m, Dec. 29, for a reported burglary.
Store manager Nibras Murad said four to five people broke in using sledgehammers, smashing through both the store’s security shutters and the front doors.
Murad said the thieves broke into an ATM, stole cash from a safe in the store’s office, and made off with countless bottles of expensive liquor and lottery tickets.
“They broke the front door, the gate, the second couple doors in the back, the two doors behind the counter, they went to the office also, I mean they tore down the whole thing,” Murad said.
He said management was alerted to the burglary by the store’s alarm system. The store is now temporarily closed as employees work to repair damages and replace the doors.
Even with insurance, for a small business, Murad says the amount of damage is devastating.
“It’s been happening so much, and we know it’s holiday times. It’s just sad to see these kinds of things happening,” Murad said. “We’re here, we’re trying to support the community and work.”
The Detroit Police Department’s 9th Precinct detective unit is leading the investigation and working to submit a warrant for the person in custody to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.