HOUSTON – Houston police are looking for a group of thieves who pulled off an expensive hair heist.
The crime at a beauty supply store happened just before 2 a.m. Wednesday in the 10100 block of Beechnut near Beltway 8. Local 2 has obtained surveillance video that shows the group may have also been involved in a similar break-in a few hours later.
Surveillance video from "Beauty Sensation" shows a white truck with a wooden rack attached to its bed backing up into the business. Several men jump out of the truck and several other people from another truck parked nearby join them. As many as eight people enter the store, grabbing expensive hair extensions and weaves.
According to the owners, the group was inside the store less than two minutes.
"They knew exactly where it was. They threw away the cheap hair on the floor and they only kept the expensive ones. They were scattered around the store and they picked the most expensive ones," said Kevin Kim, the owners' son.
Kim said the family has owned the store for about six years. Though they've heard of similar incidents at other beauty supply stores, this kind of break-in was a first at their locations. "They're devastated. Even I'm speechless right now," said Kim.
Kim said the longer human hair extensions that were stolen can cost as much as $200 a piece, and the wigs cost $450. He estimates thousands of dollars worth of hair was stolen. Houston police said an undisclosed amount of cash was also taken.
Police say one truck was recovered a short distance away from the burglary. Later, HPD was notified that a vehicle matching the same description as the vehicle that rammed into the beauty store may have been used in another burglary in Harris County.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office is investigating a smash-and-grab that happened around 4:30 a.m. at a T-Mobile in the 10900 block of the North Freeway. Surveillance video obtained by Local 2 shows what appears to be that same white truck with the wooden rack backing into the cell phone store and then eight suspects getting out of the truck's cab.
SentriForce, the company that monitors the T-Mobile shopping center, said it was able to trigger strobe lights and sirens within 50 seconds of the vehicle's impact, prompting the thieves to run away.
According to the sheriff's office, several cell phones were reported missing and damage to the building was estimated at $15,000 dollars.
Houston police are still looking for the other vehicle that slammed into the beauty supply store. It is described as a white Ford F250 with four doors and a large dent on its passenger side. Its front wheels were black and its back wheels were gray. The truck had paper license plates.
If you have any information, you are asked to contact HPD's burglary and theft division at 713-308-0900.