MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Workers are at wit’s end at the Buster's liquor store in East Memphis after thieves busted through glass windows and stole booze for the third time in around a year.
Memphis Police said thieves struck around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 17. Management said thousands of dollars in alcohol were stolen.
“It’s just a lot of aggravation and frustration for the cleanup that we have to go through just for them to steal a few bottles of tequila,” said Patty Smith, Buster's Management.
The following day, the damage can still be seen, including a broken pillar and a broken wall.
Smith has lingering questions about the potential financial fallout.
“What’s our insurance going to be? Because, obviously, you’re a liability now,” said Smith.
Smith said the business invested in several new security measures to try and prevent these break-ins from happening. Another smash-and-grab at Buster's took place around two months ago in June.
“It’s hard to have nice stuff when you keep breaking it up and stealing,” said Julius Brown, a customer.
Memphis crime data shows over 400 more reported business burglaries compared to this time in 2022.
Even though MPD arrested 15 people during Operation: Broken Bottles in June, Assistant District Attorney Forrest Edwards said these burglaries are still on the rise and a majority of the suspects are new offenders.
“These are people that are seeing this, presumably in the media, presumably elsewhere, and going and doing this for the first time,” said Edwards.
Edwards promised the public more arrests and charges are on the way with the Shelby County DA and MPD’s joint smash-and-grab business burglary task force.
“We’re still moving forward full force. We have more indictments coming,” said Edwards.
Even with this latest round of repairs following the smash-and-grab, Buster’s management said the story is not going anywhere.
“We’ve been on this corner for 60 years…and we’re staying here,” said Smith.
MPD said the investigation of the smash-and-grab is still underway and one man has already been detained.