JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The owner of a tavern in Northwest Jacksonville is out thousands of dollars after a smash-and-grab burglary that happened in a span of 12 seconds Tuesday afternoon.
Navy veteran Curtis Kimbler, who has owned Greybeards Tavern on Commonwealth Avenue for 20 years, said he still can't believe someone would break into his truck in broad daylight and steal the bank deposit bags inside it.
"I walked out to put money in my truck -- several thousand dollars. I walked back in to get the rest of my material, and on my way back out, in that 12 seconds, it was all over," Kimbler said.
The bar's surveillance video captured a dark-colored Buick sedan pulling up just before 3 p.m. Tuesday. The video then shows someone getting out of the car and shattering the window of Kimbler's Dodge pickup truck without hesitation.
The video shows the thief getting inside the truck and grabbing the cash before jumping back in the car and taking off. The surveillance video also shows the Buick's license plate, which was blacked out.
"I believe it's someone who knows exactly what I do. It's someone that's been watching me because I always put that money in the same place and they didn't even open the door. It was a quick bang and run," Kimbler said.
James Cooper, who owns a security business and installed the surveillance system at Greybeards Tavern, said this kind of crime is especially bold with today's technology.
"You know camera surveillance video will show it. You know you can't hide from it. There's cameras everywhere," Cooper said.
Kimbler said he hopes that surveillance video will help someone recognize the burglar and lead to an arrest.
"I'm not a very forgiving person and I just hope that you get what's coming to you," Kimbler said.
Anyone who recognizes the dark-colored late-1990s or early-2000s model Buick sedan with a broken taillight that is seen in the video is asked to anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.