Tulsa store vandals caught on tape

Monday, July 11th 2005, 10:27 am

By: News On 6

An east Tulsa businessman fed up with vandalism and wants to warn others. Heâ€™s reminding other store owners to be vigilant and is letting the suspects know in this case, they were caught on tape.

The News on 6's Heather Lewin says it was Friday night just before midnight, when vandals kicked in the front window of Juan Mejia's grocery store.

When the alarm company called he rushed down and checked his security tape. Mejia was happy to spot the suspects, but he says Tulsa Police told him it was too difficult to get a positive ID. Mejia went back to work, discouraged, until the next day, Mejia saw them, walking by in the afternoon, two young men wearing the same clothing, that he's certain were the suspects on the tape. He called Tulsa Police one more time and officers looked around but found nothing.

Mejia thinks the suspects live nearby and could strike again. Mejia says this type of vandalism is increasing in the area, but much of it goes unreported because store owners are afraid of causing trouble. He says people need to be more proactive, put up cameras and call the police. Mejia will be doubling the number of cameras at his store, to get better coverage 24 hours a day. He thinks the vandals were attracted by the brightly lit pastry case.

The surrounding windows have bars and make it tough to actually get inside the store. Luckily, he believes the suspects only got away with some cookies, but they left Mejia with the bill for a broken window and frustration that his store was hit. Until the vandals are caught, he wants others to be aware there are some young men in the area up to no good.

Tulsa Police are frequently confronted with security cameras that don't capture a good enough image to identify suspects. It is costly, but investigators encourage business owners to invest in the highest quality cameras possible to protect their property.