Burglar busts in through ceiling of Southern California gym

Surveillance cameras captured a man armed with a knife breaking into a local gym in the South Bay and Harbor region of Los Angeles.

The break-in occurred early Wednesday morning at around 1 a.m. at Mindful Gainz on Anaheim Street and Broad Avenue.

Footage of the incident shows the thief wearing a dark hoody walking into the gym and taking out the surveillance camera.

The gym’s owner, Erik Esquivel, walked into the mess left by the burglar, who got into the business through the ceiling.

“I guess there’s a room upstairs,” he told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “They chipped away at the floor and came down on a cable wire. I don’t know what they were looking for.”

It’s unclear if the suspect had been squatting in the vacant room upstairs, but during the break-in, he caused more than $1,000 worth of damage to Esquivel’s business.

“He had a knife,” the gym owner said. “I’m just glad nobody was here that early and he was able to leave without anything worse happening.”

At Power Fitness, just down the block, a burglar hit their business on Saturday morning. That gym’s owner said it’s the third time their business has been targeted this year alone.

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“It’s disheartening that this happens here,” Esquivel said. “A lot of people work hard to open up a business. I’m just trying to create a nice place, a community where everybody can come and work out. It’s disappointing that this is in our community. Hopefully, someone knows him and can say something.”

Anyone who may recognize the thief is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.

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