A Prince Rupert business is short $4,000 in merchandise after an early-morning break and enter occurred last week.
Loaded Sports owner Marc Page was called down to his shop on 3rd Avenue West shortly after 1 a.m. on Thursday morning after receiving a call from the store's alarm company. The business' surveillance cameras picked up one individual during the theft.
"Surveillance footage showed a well-disguised individual walking up with a bag and a sledge hammer. He dropped the bag and started hammering the door to the point where he could bash the metal security features out of place so he could slip his fingers inside and unlock the door," Page said.
Page said the individual then took the sledge hammer to the watch case, and took 13 Nixon watches valued at $4,000 before fleeing the scene.
Unfortunately, the break-in was not the first one for the business.
"It has happened before. Every time it happens it gets less personal, but it sucks that it's a part of having a business," Page said, adding each time an incident of this nature happens it's a learning experience for the store to improve security measures.
Loaded Sports is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the individual responsible for the break and enter being identified. The business is also offering individual rewards for each of the watches.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the RCMP at (250) 627-0700.