Caught On Video, Dollar General Burglar Attacks Cigarette Machine, Fails, Then Flees

Shortly after midnight this morning, Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Dollar General store on Palm Coast Parkway, opposite the Roma Court building: The doors to the business had been smashed in. But the burglar’s real target–the cigarette machine–held firm.

The front sliding business doors were both heavily damaged and appeared to be hit by some type of metal object, a police report noted. “The two sliding doors were hit more than forty times. The top left window had also been damaged. A large spark plug was found near the window and is believed to have been used in the break in.”

At the entrance to the doorway, a white plastic garbage bag typically used in kitchens was discovered. A matching garbage bag was discovered near the cigarette display on the employee side of the front register. There was a large scuff mark on the register counter, and two yellow scuff marks on the cigarette display, believed to have been caused by a yellow step stool located on the floor in front of the cigarette display. No other ridgelines or fingerprints were observed on the counter, step stool or any other areas of interest, the report notes.

A 25-year-old S. Augustine resident who is the store’s emergency contact arrived at the scene and was able to access the video surveillance system. “In the video,” Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Gamarra reported, “I observed a white male, dressed in a black hooded sweat-shirt with black gloves, cut-off blue denim jeans, and light colored sneakers, (possibly tan or gray), being of medium to large build and standing approximately 6’0 tall, enter the business through the front doors and jump on top of the counter holding a white plastic garbage bag.”

His aim: to empty the cigarette machine of its packs.

“The suspect knelt with bare knees on the counter, then spun and landed on the other side of the front counter. The suspect then proceeded to pull and strike the cigarette display with his hands and feet. The suspect is then observed grabbing a yellow foot stool and striking the cigarette display in an attempt to break the glass.” The suspect did so repeatedly, angrily.

“The suspect was unsuccessful, jumped on the counter using his bare knees as a pivot point and spun around and off the other side of the counter, exiting out the front doors, picking up an object, (possibly the object used to damage the front glass sliding doors), and riding away from the location on a mountain bicycle.”

The damage to the front glass was estimated at $5,000. A DNA swab was taken from the counter where the suspect had knelt–a chance for Flagler deputies to put in practice what they had just learned: the department just signed a contract with a DNA lab to expedite property crime investigations.

A canvass of the area for the suspect was unsuccessful.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Flagler County sheriff’s Office at 386/313-4911 or Crimetoppers at 888/277-8477. You may remain anonymous and you could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.