Thieves ransack Downey barber shop, steal hundreds of dollars' worth of clippers and gear

DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A family-owned barber shop in Downey is facing a major setback after two thieves broke into their business on Friday, stealing much-needed and expensive equipment.

The break-in happened just after 1:20 a.m. Friday at Downey Dave's Barber Shop on Stewart and Gray Road.

Surveillance footage shared with Eyewitness News shows the two thieves walking up to the entrance and using some kind of device to poke a hole through the front door. One of the suspects rips away the glass and they both head straight in.

Moments later, they're seen running out with multiple items.

"All the tools were missing, every single clipper, every single shear, box shavers, straight razors ... everything," said owner Victor Munoz.

The video shows the thieves running away when an alarm went off. Munoz ultimately arrived at the shop to check the security camera footage.

"I saw two low-life, young individuals wearing pajamas, covered up in beanies and gloves, just walking around at 1:30 in the morning," he said.

The suspects grabbed cash from the register, though it's unclear how much was taken. Munoz said what hurt the most was the loss of expensive tools that he and two other barbers use on their clients. The thieves also left behind the chargers for the clippers, according to Munoz.

"We had to turn away so many customers yesterday. It was just really bad. It was just a really bad day," said Munoz, who's already spent several hundred dollars replacing some of the stolen equipment.

"This alone this is about $400, and the others were $350 and up," he said as he pointed to the equipment.

According to a GoFundMe created for the barber shop, the business has been around since 1992.

"My father was a barber in Downey for over 50 years. When he passed away in 2017, I took the shop over," said Munoz.

The shop reopened Saturday, but Munoz said he still needs to buy shears and other gear.

The business is asking for donations to help replace what was taken, repair the damage caused by the thieves, and help improve their security.