MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Liquor store break ins aren’t new to the Mid-South, but business owners are trying new strategies to keep their store safe.
Overnight between June 11 and 12, at least three liquor stores were broken into. The Memphis Police Department (MPD) said some of the robberies could be connected.
Though the thieves had a successful run in at Azor’s Liquor, one thing they weren’t ready for was unbreakable glass at Southwind Liquor.
One location picked up the alarming noise of a sledgehammer on their security cameras, and the thieves weren’t even able to make a dent in the window.
Another location spent Monday morning picking up the pieces after thieves made their way into the store and cash register.
"That’s a mess you got money all over; you got trash, you got bottles,” Jean W. Azor said. “Cash register was upside down. Money was all over the floor. That’s the third time, so the first time I was a little mad, but this time here, I said 'ain’t nothing we can do about it."
On the other hand, a liquor store across town is on their ninth time being targeted.
“This is the ninth time that we’ve been hit but the last four times they have been unsuccessful because of the glass and the bars that are on the window,” employee Larry Barnard said.
The material that made the difference is called Lexan and is sold at local hardware stores.
It’s more commonly seen at hockey rinks to prevent the puck from going through the glass. Luckily, it also prevents thieves from sledge hamming through stores like this Southwind Liquor.
With this being the ninth recent break in attempt, they’ve added more measures than just unbreakable glass and a 24-hour security team. Now, they’re also using Apple AirTags.
“They always hop the counter, and they just grab whatever they can, but we had air trackers in some other boxes,” Barnard said. “After they left, the owner was able to track where they went. He told the police. The police went by there, and they got one of the cars that was involved. They got one of the 12 people that was involved and they got all of the liquor back.”
MPD reports that several broadcasts went out across the city describing the same suspects breaking into other liquor stores, with the incidents potentially being the same groups of people.
The only difference was the thieves got into some stores and not others.
Police encourage anyone with additional information related to this incident to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-2274 (CASH) with tips.