By Aneeka Simonis
THE armed, balaclava-clad offender who used an axe and crowbar to break into an Upper Beaconsfield cafe is feared to have checked the ins and outs of the premises previously.
Police managed to capsicum spray the offender and his getaway driver, but the duo sped off with Sally’s Big Ass Burgers cash till. Police are still searching for the pair.
The offender used the implements to attempt to get into the burger cafe via a front door about 4.40am on Monday 19 September.
The offender gave up, moving to a side door where he eventually gained access.
Once inside, the offender went straight for the shop till, unplugging it from the power and continued searching the premises with a head-light.
The ordeal lasted about 30 minutes, and owner Sally saw it all in real time via the shop CCTV accessed by her phone.
She said the burglar felt “very targeted.”
“It was like he’d been there before. When I find out the number plate of the car, I am going to spend a lot of time looking at the footage. I think he may have come to the place, maybe for a coffee to check it out and thought this’d be a good place to burg,” Sally said.
Sally was on the phone to police as the offender was inside her cafe.
Police managed to get there before the pair fled. They capsicum spayed the car, attempting to stop the fleeing offenders, but the pair got away.
Sally said the second person appeared to be female, and remained in the getaway car during the entire incident.
The car has been described as a white utility.
The same offenders are thought to have scoped out the premises earlier in the morning.
CCTV footage shows the car parked outside a nearby premises about 4am, and its lights turned off for a time. They restarted the car again and drove off before returning at 4.40am.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
