SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Crews were cleaning up at a popular shopping area in Shaker Heights Tuesday after a group of people smashed into a high-end streetwear store and stole several items. It wasn't the only location hit.
The scene outside Xhibition was hard to miss and, for some at the Van Aken District, even harder to believe.
"It' really nice up here; we don't usually get this," JJ Jones, who walks by the store often, said. "I thought someone maybe, like, lost control or something."
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But district officials and police confirmed the shattered glass and missing front doors were not an accident. Rather, a truck plowed through the front glass entrance of Xhibition just before 5 a.m. Tuesday. The facility manager says surveillance video then shows several masked robbers running through the shattered glass and stealing several items from the store before taking off.
"Xhibition was the target of senseless theft that caused significant damage to their storefront," district general manager Jesse Rathner wrote in a statement. "The Van Aken district is helping Xhibition in every way possible to get back on their feet quickly.
"Please know the Shaker Police Department is actively investigating and we are all appreciative of their prompt assistance. It is in times like this that our local entrepreneurs need our love and support the most."
Xhibition has been in the district for five years, with the store selling high-end street shoes and clothing. Customers said they typically have security personnel on site during business hours.
"It is an unfortunate situation, but a risk that we take having a business," Xhibition ownership said when reached for comment. "We are undeterred and thankful no one was hurt — it is only property."
It's an unsettling scene on its own, but even more disturbing when you learn something similar happened at Xhibition's other location in Cleveland: Employees there told 3News a vehicle smashed into the glass entrance overnight, but the would-be robbers couldn't get past a metal gate on the other side of the glass. Nothing was stolen.
WKYC reached out to Cleveland police about the latter incident, but did not hear back Tuesday.