Tuesday, February 12 – Rash Of Liquor Store Robberies Probed

OCEAN CITY – Resort police this week are looking for suspects in three separate liquor and beer store break-ins early last Sunday morning which appear to be related.

Shortly after 3 a.m. on Sunday, Ocean City Police officers were called to Brewski Brothers at 133rd Street and Coastal Highway for a reported burglary. Witnesses told police three men broke into the beer and wine store by throwing a trash can through the front door and stole nearly $500 worth of cigarettes, a small amount of cash and, oddly enough, ping-pong balls. The witnesses said the suspects fled in a dark color pick-up truck with an extended cab.

Around 10 a.m. on Sunday, resort police got their second call about a reported burglary at liquor store in the same area. This time, the suspects threw a large rock through the front window of the Big Tuna Grill liquor store on 128th Street and Coastal Highway to gain entry. Once inside, the suspects stole 32 bottles of liquor, three cases of beer and cash. The total estimated loss in the Big Tuna Grill break-in came to around $3,000.

With two confirmed burglaries, OCPD officers began searching other businesses in the area. A short time later, they discovered the Gold Coast Beer and Wine Store had been burglarized. The suspects threw a chair through the front door to gain access and stole a Sony Vaio laptop computer, cigarettes and cigars and an I-pod all totaling around $3,000.

Ocean City police are urging anyone with information about the cases to contact the OCPD Criminal Investigation Division at 410-723-6604.

For more information and all of the week’s news, see Friday’s print and online editions of The Dispatch.