While the Victoria Day long weekend wasn’t exactly picture perfect in the weather department, it was still nice enough to take in some of the recreational activities offered in Burnaby.
But one popular business that helps get people out onto the water of Deer Lake, almost didn’t open up for the weekend, thanks to some very determined thieves.
Last Wednesday (May 18), Deer Lake Boat Rentals was broken into in an unusual way.
At about midnight, thieves decided to ram their truck into the steel doors of a shed at the business on Sperling Avenue.
The suspects or suspect managed to bend the doors enough to get inside. In less than a minute, the thief made off with a cash register containing $30 in coins.
“The good thing is no one got hurt and they didn’t destroy anything else,” said the business’s owner Damien Liu.
The entire break-in was caught on surveillance video.
While the crooks got away with very little, the damage is hardly chump change.
Liu estimated the damage to the door and the repair to the city-owned building to be about $6,000 to $10,000. The business also had to remake a sign and replace the stolen cash register.
“I can’t imagine what they [the suspects] were thinking,” he said, adding the business has never been targeted like this since he took over as operator 15 years ago.
But Liu is crediting the city for helping his business get back on track. Within a couple days the door was fixed and the business was ready to open just in time for the long weekend.
Meanwhile, local Mounties are investigating the break-in.
Burnaby RCMP Staff Sgt. Maj. John Buis said there are tire tracks on the lawn of the property, but no witnesses to the crime.
He said it’s not unusual for someone to use a vehicle to help in a break-in, but noted it’s typically businesses that have re-enforced doors.
“This is odd, but it’s one way to do it,” he said, suggesting the truck should have some damage from the impact. “So, a lot of work for nothing. It’s just damage but that’s unfortunate because it takes a while to repair.”
Buis noted there were no other similar crimes reported in the area that night.
The suspect is described as a South Asian man, 20 to 25 years of age, standing five-feet 10-inches tall, wearing a black baseball cap and white sweatshirt.
