SAN ANTONIO – A Northwest Side hair salon may be the latest victim in a recent series of burglaries, seemingly targeting the beauty industry.
The latest crime happened early Wednesday morning at Alta Moda Salon, which is located at The Rim Shopping Center.
Matt Cochran, whose wife owns the salon, shared security camera video with KSAT 12 News. The video showed a person entering the business by breaking through a glass window.
Once inside, the video shows, one of the three suspected burglars heads for the cash drawer while the others rummage around inside the shop. They all exited the building within two minutes of entering.
Cochran said he was unaware of the crime until he showed up approximately five hours later to prepare the salon for opening.
“Found out, walked in, things are scattered around. Tossed and turned,” Cochran said.
In all, Cochran believes the criminals stole a few hundred dollars while, for some reason, ignoring other high-valued items.
Cochran said he felt “violated” by the crime.
“I mean, my wife and I, we spend more time here than at our own home,” Cochran said. “So, this is no different than somebody coming into your own home.”
While he doesn’t blame the shopping center’s management for what happened, Cochran said he wanted to speak out to warn other small business owners about protecting their own property.
The crime appears to share similarities with other business break-ins that have happened recently, including some in Alamo Heights.
As KSAT 12 News reported last week, that city experienced four business burglaries within a span of a few days.
The shops that were targeted included two barber shops, a hair salon and a health and wellness business called DRIPBaR.
DRIPBaR also shared video of the crime with KSAT 12 News.
As with the Alta Moda Salon break-in, the DRIPBaR video shows the burglars entering the shop by breaking out a glass window and making a dash for the cash drawer.
KSAT 12 News sent an email to SAPD asking whether the cases at The Rim and Alamo Heights might be connected. As of Thursday afternoon, the department had not responded.
Cochran said completely recovering from the crime that hit Alta Moda Salon may take weeks. He expects it will be 4-6 weeks before the front window is fully repaired.
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