Two thieves made off with about $4,000 worth of equipment from a sushi restaurant in northwest Miami-Dade over the weekend, the establishment’s manager said.
"The way they did it, I'm impressed," said Maria Ruit, the manager of Sushi Runner at 16010 NW 57th Ave., which was burglarized shortly after closing time early Sunday.
Ruit calls the men professionals. In the surveillance video, expensive restaurant equipment is seen being carefully suspended on a rope. It is then carried and placed into a waiting truck.
"Not only did they do it really quickly, they did it calmly. It is very surprising. When you're in that kind of situation, you're usually in a panic, trying to do things very quickly," Ruit said.
But the suspects took their time, spending 45 minutes on the crime, the video shows.
They didn't even have to break into the building to get to their loot. Ruit said she believes they climbed up a ladder to get to the roof. Once there, they dismantled the ventilation system.
That system is crucial in commercial kitchens, Ruit said. Without it, fire inspectors could have shut the sushi restaurant down.
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A new system has already been installed, however, so Sushi Runner could re-open its doors to customers. The restaurant owner had to eat the costs of the emergency repair.
“He thinks that at this point it’s already running in another restaurant,” Ruit said. “He thinks somebody else already has it installed in their own restaurant.”
Authorities urge anyone with information on the incident to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
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Photo Credit: NBC 6 South Florida