'A'ali'i is a reporter with KITV. He was born and raised on the island of Maui and graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in Journalism.
Four local businesses in Kailua started their Tuesday morning by sweeping up shattered glass outside their store fronts after burglars busted through them.
Four local businesses in Kailua started their Tuesday morning by sweeping up shattered glass outside their store fronts after burglars busted through them.
"They broke into the window, ran inside, grabbed the cash drawer underneath our register system and ran out with it. It was empty, we always leave it empty," said Shaun O'Connor, general manager of Aloha Salads, one of the eateries struck.
"We don't keep any cash here at night, so all they did was create a lot of havoc and a lot of mess."
The same thing happened right next door at Mexican food shop Paniolos, but there, robbers snagged a cash register containing $300.
Less than a quarter a mile away, burglars also took an empty drawer from Mahaloha Burger. A few doors down at Pieology, nothing was taken, but its storefront was vandalized like the rest.
Pieology's manager Kim Weir called the incident "an inconvenience" and said the store would open for business as usual. The other three businesses welcomed customers Tuesday as well.
Paniolos co-owner Tamara Valdivia is also a Kailua resident, who said she's noticing crime rising in the area.
"It's scary. I'm very sad because I have been here for a long, long time, many years, and I can see the changes and it used to be a place where you feel safe but it feels like it's not anymore," Valdivia added.
The brazen break-ins come a month after the restaurant adjacent to Paniolos, Mexico Lindo, was also burglarized.
Landlord Alexander & Baldwin says it is working with Honolulu police to support the investigation. O'Connor told KITV-4 he is discussing security improvements for the area with A&B.
"They are talking about increasing security, to doubling up the amount of people they have on patrol," O'Connor said.
"They have people on patrol every night, they're just gonna increase it."
If you have any information on the incident, you're asked to contact Honolulu police.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
'A'ali'i is a reporter with KITV. He was born and raised on the island of Maui and graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in Journalism.
