Minneapolis police are looking for burglars who made off with about $3,000 from the Erbert and GerbertâÄôs Subs and ClubsâÄô safe early Tuesday morning in Dinkytown âÄî and it wasnâÄôt simply a smash and grab job.
After breaking into the empty unit next to the new Erbert and GerbertâÄôs at 15th Avenue and Fourth Street Southeast, the thieves cut a three-by-three foot hole into the adjoining wall to gain access to the safe, which they sawed open.
âÄúItâÄôs a pretty heavy-duty commercial-type safe,âÄù Erbert and GerbertâÄôs Store Owner Mike Hoenie said. âÄúThey used some sort of grinder and literally cut through.âÄù
The timing couldnâÄôt have been much better either, Hoenie said. Because banks are not open on Sundays, businesses must wait until Monday to deposit money from the weekend. And with last Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the sandwich shop was holding even more money than usual.
It is unclear when the burglary occurred because no one was at the store between the hours of midnight and 7 a.m. Tuesday. Video surveillance from that night could help police learn more about the suspects.
âÄúI cannot recall anything exactly like this,âÄù Minneapolis police Sgt. Bill Palmer said.
Later Tuesday, Minneapolis police were at Erbert and GerbertâÄôs gathering evidence and taking fingerprints.
A computer error caused a delay in the police investigation because the case was not forwarded to the proper department, Palmer said.
But in the meantime, itâÄôs back to business as usual at Erbert and GerbertâÄôs, where the hole has already been patched up by contractors. Owners are working with their insurance company to recoup the lost money.
âÄúInsurance is taking care of everything, so thatâÄôs good at least,âÄù Hoenie said. âÄúAnd no one got hurt, that was the bigger thing.âÄù