SAINT ANTHONY – The owner of a North Side collectibles business that was targeted overnight by thieves says he’s lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.
San Antonio police responded to a burglar alarm around 4 a.m. Monday at Sports Cards Plus, which is located in the 2200 block of Lockhill-Selma.
RELATED: 4 suspects break into sporting goods store, steal merchandise, police say
They found the front door glass broken.
Business owner Charlie Dipietro says he also received a call about the alarm, then saw an eye on his surveillance cameras.
“They were scattering and running around. It seems, kind of random, but they seemed to know what is expensive and what is not,” he said.
Dipietro says he could see four men, dressed all in black, destroying his store.
Ad
“Taking the boxes, putting them in the bags. They came with some trash bags,” he said.
The thieves, he said, were driving a U-Haul truck.
Dipietro believes they had plans to clean everything out of his store.
Instead, they mostly got football and basketball card boxes, as well as some other high-end merchandise.
“Things that, if they wanted to sell, they wouldn’t sell at a flea market,” he said. “It will be sold online.”
Dipietro says he believes the scammers were spooked for several reasons. When they left, they left behind one of the trash bags that had items from his shelves.
They also left a mess, which Dipietro and some of his family members were still cleaning up hours later.
“It took me 30 years to build it to where it is today,” he said. “I think they are heartless individuals. They just don’t care.”
Dipietro says he’s looking at ways to beef up security at the store to protect what’s left.
Ad
He says this is the sixth time the business has been offered to him.
Just last week, someone tried unsuccessfully to break in by sawing through a metal side door.
To solve this latest crime, Dipietro says he plans to offer a reward through Crime Stoppers.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (210) 224-STOP (7867), or the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7273.
Copyright 2022 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
