In Bellingham on Tuesday, it wasn’t the Grinch who tried to steal Christmas, but four of them.
The thieves were caught on surveillance footage breaking into a local business.
“These people don’t know what Christmas is,” said Don Hartleben, manager of ‘Dank of America’. The pharmacy was broken into around five in the morning.
The thieves earn a lump of coal, but instead gifted themselves more than $5,000 worth of merchandise.
Surveillance footage shows a stolen car crashing into the facade of Dank of America before four masked thieves burst in. The four are seen packing dozens of items into grocery bags before running out of the store. They’re in and out in two minutes.
Store employees called the police after being alerted to the alarm. Hartleben says officers arrived quickly, but were not quick enough to make arrests.
Employees are shocked by their attempt to ruin Christmas.
“It disrupted all our plans,” said store owner Thomas Wartinger. “I was just home opening presents with the grandchildren when all this happened.”
The damage to the shop premises was extensive.
“What these people don’t realize is that we are a small company. This is going to come out of our pocket. We are not a large company,” says Hartleben.
Adding to his frustration, they’re not the only Bellingham business to have its vacation plans hijacked by burglaries.
A barbershop, sandwich shop and Vietnamese restaurant also fell victim to the nightmare before Christmas.
Hartleben hopes the community will show up in the new year to support the demolished businesses.
“I will not let this affect my holiday,” says Hartleben about Tuesday’s theft.
