COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus police said suspects who broke into a North Side dollar store Thursday morning could be responsible for as many as 13 other recent local crimes.
NBC 4’s Tom Brockman reported with the FAST FACTS.
Suspects burglarized the Dollar Tree in the Morse Center at Morse Road and Northtowne Boulevard sometime early Thursday morning, CPD said.
Police said officers think the suspects used a cutting torch of some kind to cut holes in both a back overhead door and a safe.
The suspects fled the scene with almost $2,500.
CPD’s burglary sergeant said the suspects may be behind the burglaries and attempted burglariess of as many as 13 other stores.
He said in many of the cases, torches were used to cut through garage doors or sides of buildings.
The series of burglaries began a couple of weeks ago on the city’s West Side, moved to the South Side and now the North Side.
He also said many of the burglaries happened overnight.
No one was injured in Thursday’s incident.
NBC 4 caught up with Ellis Lane with Lane’s Overhead Doors as he began to repair the overhead door at the Dollar Tree.
He said the damaged door looked exactly like a door he repaired Monday at another Dollar Tree near West Broad and South Wilson roads on the city's West Side.
“The hole looks exactly the same,” he said.
Wilson Detty works just a few doors down from the latest scene.
He said he can’t believe the suspects weren't caught.
“It kind of concerns me when you see something like this going on in the area,” he said. “The security around here, they're pretty good. They're around here all the time. I’m just amazed they got in and got out that quick without somebody seeing them," Detty said.
CPD continued to investigate, but detective were being tight-lipped about the crime locations and details.
If you have any information on these burglaries, you were encouraged to call Columbus police at 614-645-4545.
For additional information on this developing story, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
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