In the video a man is seen running up to a cash register and then back out within a few moments. "He was very relaxed, he was just looking calm and he looks more professional," Edward Kim said.
Kim says his restaurant, Wassabi, was broken into by the suspect. Police say the crook was quick, spotted on camera walking alongside the restaurant, then crawling through a window he smashed with a rock. "He just took money from our register, which was only like five bucks change," Kim said.
And police say less than an hour before that break-in, and only a mile away, The Pizza Factory on First and Nees was also broken into by the same burglar. In that video you can see someone shatter a window and climb inside the business. That's when he runs up to the register, grabs a handful of cash, and takes off again. Police are asking the public to help track down 33-year-old Michael David Buchanan. Detectives tell Action News he has a long list of run-ins with officers. "We're hoping if anybody has information that leads us to other burglaries that he may have committed, that they would also get in touch with us," Lt. Don Gross, Fresno Police Department, said.
Managers at both restaurants say the damage from the shattered windows is by far the most costly part of these crimes. Both places also say they're sure to keep all their money, no matter how small of an amount, secured overnight.
Police say criminals, like Buchanan, are just looking for easy opportunities, so be careful.
"The more layers of protection you have, the better," Lt. Gross said. "What we're trying to do is prevent those people from coming into your business."
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Rudy Montoya at (559) 621-6436.
