FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth business owner is warning neighboring stores to be on alert after her eyewear shop was targeted by thieves for the fourteenth time.
Three masked men trying to break into Adair Eyewear around 4 a.m. Tuesday on 7th Street. Surveillance footage captured video of the attempted break-in. The men have their faces covered and use a crowbar to try to pry open the door.
Owner and founder Alyce Jones believes the thieves were after the high-end glasses worth hundreds of dollars apiece.
“They were intending to wipe us out,” Jones said.
The masked burglars were unable to break in and drove away when the alarm sounded. Jones installed an upgraded security system after a string of break-ins and attempted burglaries.
The business has been targeted 14 times over the years and has racked up more than $400,000 in damages and stolen items, Jones said.
Even though the three men didn’t get in Tuesday, Jones has never been more concerned. She says it looked less like a crime of opportunity and more like a planned heist.
“They looked very professional, very aggressive,” Jones said.
The store is in a growing neighborhood near the UNT Health Science Center. A number of bars and restaurants have opened in the last few years.
The combination brings students and customers out on the streets even late at night, said neighbor Melanie Jones, who is also Alyce’s daughter. She warns others in the area to be on alert.
“It’s kind of alarming," Jones said. “Because we’re on the radar with all of the development, it’s also attracting people that don’t have our safety in mind.”