Around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug 22, someone attempted to gain access to the safe at Deals 4 You on Metral Dr. They ran off before gaining access to the safe. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

missed the mark

Attempted break-in leaves hole in wall and big headaches for Nanaimo store owner

Aug 22, 2023 | 1:31 PM

NANAIMO — A brazen overnight break-in attempt at a north-end variety store has left the location with more security concerns and an expensive hole in the wall to repair.

Just after 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 22, would-be thieves smashed through part of a concrete wall at Deals 4 You on Metral Dr. near Superstore, in an attempt to gain access to the store’s safe.

Manager James Ord said there was also broken glass in the front, but the main damage was done to the concrete on the north wall.

“We think that they had obviously seen [the safe], they’d paced it off and they missed by about a foot but they were pretty close. [The safe is] useable, but there’s damage.”

Ord said either the alarm or the arrival of the police scared the thieves off, and no suspects have been identified as of yet.

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He said it’ll cost at least a few thousand dollars to repair the wall, and said the intruders likely used a sledgehammer or some kind of cordless grinder.

“Those bricks are sand filled, which means they would have filled it from the top so now we have to have somebody come in, take two or three out of the top, fix the bottom and then repour it from the top.”

A considerable amount of sand remains after an attempted break in at Deals 4 You on Metral Dr. overnight. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

While nothing was taken from the store, it’s another headache for owner Jeff Ross, owner of Gold Silver Guy on Townsite Rd., who’s experienced multiple break-ins, thefts, and vandalism already this year.

Ord said he’s concerned the person or people responsible may return during the day Tuesday or overnight to continue the attempt.

They’ll patch up the hole for now with a steel plate and brickwork until more permanent repairs can be made, and they’ll also be installing cameras.

“[RCMP] don’t know who it was, there’s no fingerprints, there’s nothing here,” Ord told NanaimoNewsNOW. “They’ve got our information, updated information and they’re going to do more drive by’s so that if they see anything they can [intervene].”

The would-be thieves started to cut a hole into the safe before they were interrupted by either the alarm or police before fleeing. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Nanaimo RCMP says the attempted break-in would have likely caused a lot of noise, and they’re asking anyone with any information to contact them on their non-emergency line at 250-754-2345, quoting file number: 2023-29235.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow