Burglaries at 9 businesses, most near Tacoma Mall, suspected to be linked, police say
Tacoma police are investigating a rash of nine burglaries at businesses Monday morning. Police suspect the burglaries — most of which occurred near the Tacoma Mall — are connected.
Seven of the burglaries were reported at businesses along Tacoma Mall Boulevard. The first was reported at about 3:21 a.m. from a business’s alarm, Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Wendy Haddow said. Other businesses weren’t aware of what happened until employees came to work.
“This rash of crimes is unusual, and detectives are actively working on it,” Haddow said.
It’s unclear what was taken in the burglaries or how many people were involved in the break-ins. Haddow said in all of them, it appeared that burglars used a vehicle to break into the building.
Windows at the front entrance of one store that was broken into, World Market, were boarded up on Tuesday. Haddow said detectives were reviewing security footage of the burglaries.
According to a weekly briefing on crime stats in Tacoma, burglaries in the city over the last 28 days are down 23 percent compared to the same time period last year. But comparing year-to-date burglaries shows an overall increase of 64 percent.
Police asked anyone with information about the burglaries to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
