Thieves in Northern California stole nearly $1000 worth of meat and cheese from a restaurant that closed early as a devastating fire spread this week.
Da Boccery, located at 175 E Vineyard Avenue in Livermore, shut its doors Tuesday as the Little Fire spread through the area, prompting safety concerns and evacuations.
But when employees returned, they discovered thieves had used the emergency situation as a chance to break in and raid the restaurant’s supplies.
“Between myself and our owner, we decided to close early for the safety of the staff and guests. We come to find out that next day that at 7:30 p.m., somebody had cut the bolt to our back gate, come in and helped themselves to a case of our burgers and tri-tip,” the general manager Mitchell Bryant told CBS.
The thieves reportedly walked away with a stash of restaurant food, including expensive cuts of meat and cheese, leaving staff frustrated after the business had already been hit by the disruption of the wildfire.
“Then, he returned around 10:30 with a friend to take four more cases of burgers, some bacon, and some cheese,” he continued.
Bryant, being an optimist, said he would like to think that “he’s trying to feed a family or got some other personal problems.”
The crime is classified as a felony, as any stolen property valued over $950 clears the threshold for grand theft.
The investigation is ongoing, according to the Livermore Police Department.
Da Boccery is a bar and restaurant that has golf simulators, axe throwing activities, and arcades.
It was one of several local restaurants forced to adjust its hours after the Little Fire burned more than 1,000 acres.
The Little Fire has been 85% contained, but one firefighter has been injured, after starting in Alameda County on Tuesday.
Meat has been a hot item in California. Recently, a supermarket in San Jose placed packages of ground beef inside little wire cages to thwart shoplifters.
