Small business owners in Tarzana are choosing to close their shops permanently after a string of devastating burglaries has continued plaguing the area in recent years.
The owner of Evette’s Beauty Supply said she will be shutting down all five of her shops in Los Angeles County due to the relentless amount of crime.
Cancer patients made up a significant portion of the beauty store’s clientele, seeking high-end wigs and hair pieces.
Security video from the store on Ventura Boulevard shows thieves shattering the shop’s front windows on Wednesday night before getting away with over $25,000 worth of merchandise.
The two suspects, an unidentified man and woman, are seen loitering around the entrance before smashing their way inside and stuffing any valuable merchandise they could find, including pricey wigs, into large garbage bags.
Later, they were seen fleeing the store in a getaway car.
The shop’s owner, Evette Ingram, said this was the sixth burglary to target her business in recent years.
Ingram said throughout past burglaries that she’s endured, at times, thieves and intruders have threatened her with knives.
She said her decision to close up shop stems from unbearable stress and heartache over the repeated burglaries devastating her business.
“I loved when one of those clients would come in,” said Ingram. “They are sick, they are feeling less attractive, their self-esteem is down because their hair is falling out, but to put a wig on their head and see the tears of joy and how beautiful they felt again, that made me develop a passion. Not just a love for wigs, but a passion for what I do.”
Local police acknowledge they’ve seen an uptick in burglaries targeting small businesses in the area and are investigating the thefts.
Anyone with information on similar crimes is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-275-5273.