Indianapolis -
The only problem? He didn't bank on them being empty.
When the suspect decided to rob the Las Palmas store on South Keystone Avenue Tuesday morning, little did he know that a total of 20 surveillance cameras would be watching him and that his every move -- including the car he drove off in -- would be recorded.
Early Tuesday, the suspect pulled up to the store in a small silver four-door hatchback.
Surveillance cameras record the suspect throwing an object wrapped in a white hand towel through the door's glass. He then climbs through the broken glass into the store and uses the same towel to lift one of the cash registers off the counter and onto the floor.
He then lifts the second register and stacks it on top of the first one. He climbs through the front door carrying both registers, gets into his car and leaves.
By the time the suspect gets to the 2600 block of Lawrence Court, he must have realized that neither of the cash registers contained any money since police later found one of them smashed into multiple pieces.
By then, police traced the broken register back to Las Palmas and contacted the owner. "This store has been open for three months so it's pretty new...new to the neighborhood. So I'm guessing he thought we were dumb enough," says store employee Manuel Gonzales.
But the owners are far from dumb. "Our three locations have no money on the premises," Gonzales points out. In fact, he says, every night before closing not only do they take all of the money elsewhere, they even keep the empty cash register drawers open. As for why the suspect would try and steal an open and empty register remains to be seen.
But one thing for sure, Manuel Gonzales hopes the suspect finds his two cents. "Be smarter. Be smarter, " Gonzales warns.
The suspect is described as a white male between 25 and 30 years old. He is about 5'10" to six feet tall, weighing approximately 170-190 lbs. He was last seen wearing a turquoise Miami Dolphins jersey, blue gym shorts and black shoes. The suspect has a tattoo on his lower left leg.
Call Crime Stoppers at 262-TIPS with any information.
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