A Rowlett family business is putting up a cash reward to catch a group of smash and grab thieves.
Kevin Kerbel, owner of Lakeview Power Equipment, said this week his surveillance system caught a team of masked men grabbing $20,000 in generators and chain saws.
It’s the first break-in for the business in its 15 years.
“I’m giving 5,000 reasons to turn someone in - that’s $5,000,” Kerbel said.
Cameras show the thieves were on his property for less than three minutes. It only took them 56 seconds to grab some of the most high-end items in the store.
Kerbel’s top-of-the-line security system also captured the sounds of the men yelling at each other. It appears they are speaking Spanish.
The thieves escaped in a black conversion van.
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Police have connected a similar vehicle to about a dozen business break-ins all over the Metroplex, from Weatherford to Allen.
In every incident, a group of masked men entered the business after hours, spending less than five minutes grabbing expensive equipment and stashing it in the vehicle.
Police have been tracking their movements since at least the fall of 2014.
Different law enforcement agencies are still trying to connect all the crimes.
Kerbel says his $5,000 reward will go to any tipster who gives information to Rowlett police leading to an arrest.
