Thieves get away with $70K worth of merchandise from Auburn business

AUBURN, AL (WSFA) - Auburn police are continuing to search for a group of burglars who broke into a camera store in Auburn and left with thousands of dollars worth of gear.

John Oliver, owner of Cameragraphics, says in the stores 40 plus years of business they have had incidents with petty theft and shoplifting, but nothing like what took place in their store around 3 a.m. Monday morning.

"My security alarm company called and said 'your burglar alarm is going off with motion sensors.' I said call the police. I mean they were long gone before the security company even got in touch with me," said Oliver.

The thieves entered the store through the front door and in less than 2 minutes they were back out with thousands of dollars of merchandise.

"The store was trashed. These thieves took a lot of expensive camera and lenses. It is probably approaching $70,000," said Oliver.

Surveillance video did catch the four individuals in the act as they shattered the display cases with a crowbar and filled trash bags. Oliver doesn't believe it was an impromptu break-in.

"It is pretty shocking. It wasn't their first time you could tell," said Oliver.

Oliver hopes insurance will cover the stolen items. As police continue to work to track down those responsible they are looking at implementing more security measures.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact the Auburn Police at 334-501-3140 or the tip line at 334-246-1391.

Copyright 2017 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.