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Covina restaurant broken into twice in past month
Sabor a Perú and other local eateries in Covina are staying strong with community support after facing a series of recent break-ins.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A family-run restaurant in Covina says it was broken into twice in the last month.
And it's not the only local eatery that has been targeted. The small businesses are staying strong with the help of the community.
Diego Durand and his family have been serving up homestyle Peruvian food since 2019 at Sabor a Perú.
"Right before the start of the pandemic, and it really helped us evolve, adapt as a business and overcome hurdles," Durand said.
But the family says it has recently had to overcome a series of break-ins.
"The first time they hit us pretty hard; they took money and they just made a mess," Durand said.
Then last week, Durand says the suspect or suspects struck again at Sabor a Perú.
While the family made sure not to leave cash in the register after the first break-in, Durand said that didn't stop the crooks from ransacking the restaurant's office and smashing its family heirlooms.
"Stuff that didn't have any value to them but just meant the world to us because they're my grandmother's valuables and they're just gone now," Durand said.
"The second time that this occurred is when I came by just recently," Mike Varela said.
Regulars of Sabor a Perú have come by in droves to support the family-run business.
"This family is here working every day," Varela said. "These guys do a really good job, so I keep coming back."
Employees at Mauricio's Mexican Food & Pizza, in the same shopping plaza as Sabor a Perú, told FOX 11 they too were broken into last week. Their doors, while boarded up, also remain open to customers.
"The message to the community I can say is thank you, that we're happy and we're here to serve and nothing's going to stop us, God willing, and continuing to serve the community," Durand said.
FOX 11 reached out to Covina police about the reported break-ins. We are waiting to hear back.