Group of burglars target 4 Clermont businesses within minutes, police say

11 people, 3 vehicles involved in crimes

CLERMONT, Fla. – A group of 11 burglars shattered the glass and broke into four Lake County businesses in a period of less than 10 minutes early Thursday morning, according to the Clermont Police Department.

Police said a glass break alarm sounded at Pizzano's Pizza on Highway 50 shortly after 3 a.m. No one was at the restaurant when police arrived, but the glass on the front door was shattered, and the cash register and a Samsung Galaxy tablet were missing.

About three minutes after the first alarm sounded, police responded to another glass break alarm at Wine Regions on U.S. Highway 27. Surveillance video from the liquor store shows three vehicles park in front of the business, including a red four-door sedan that had been reported stolen out of Orlando, the incident report said.

One man in the surveillance video breaks the bottom pane of the glass window to the business, then 11 people, all wearing masks or other face coverings, enter the store.

The men are seen carrying various items out of the store and loading them into the stolen vehicle, police said. The vehicle speeds off within minutes.

The owner of the business told police that three registers were stolen along with several different kinds of liquors.

 


Police responded to a burglary in progress at Moe's Southwest Grill on U.S. Highway 27 about two minutes later. A delivery driver said he was placing items in the freezer when he heard a noise come from the front of the restaurant. 

He saw the glass front door was shattered and two men with hoodies covering their faces. One man said, "oh [expletive]" when he saw the delivery driver and both men left, according to the report. 

The fourth and final incident was at Jersey Mike's Subs on U.S. Highway 27 about three minutes after the alarm went off at Moe's. Police arrived to find that the glass was shattered, but no one went inside the restaurant.

An employee told police that surveillance video showed one person in a group of seven people using an object to shatter the glass, then all seven people ran away. 

Clermont police said all four incidents are related and they're looking for the 11 people and three vehicles involved. 

Anyone with information is asked to call 352-536-8418 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.


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