Motorcycle helmet-clad woman leaves trail of destruction at Sarasota shops: 'Clearly she needs help'
SARASOTA, Fla. - A motorcycle helmet-wearing vandal smashed her way through three local businesses during a Thursday morning destruction spree across the city and county.
Sarasota Business Vandalism
What we know:
A woman wearing a dress and a motorcycle helmet shattered windows and front doors at multiple businesses just after 3 a.m. Thursday.
Surveillance cameras captured the suspect walking around The Green Zebra Café on Saint Armand's Circle immediately after she broke into the building.
The suspect knocked over items inside the café and caused thousands of dollars in damage to the 8-Ball Lounge off Webber Street, where she used a brick to smash windows and send liquor bottles flying to the ground.
Investigators believe the same woman also broke out the windows at The Met, a few blocks away from the café, on St. Armand's Circle.
The exterior of The Green Zebra Cafe on Saint Armand's Circle, one of three local businesses targeted by the helmet-wearing vandal.
The Sarasota Police Department is investigating the incidents as business burglary and criminal mischief. It believes the city's destruction is connected to the vandalism reported at the 8-Ball Lounge in the county. Law enforcement officials have identified the suspect, and city police and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office are working the case.
SCSO called the case an active investigation and said warrants are still being sought.
All three businesses have since cleaned up the chaos and reopened their doors to customers.
Unsolved Commercial Burglaries
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet released the name or identity of the female suspect despite confirming they know who she is. Law enforcement officers have not stated what motivated the rapid string of attacks.
Surveillance footage captured a woman wearing a dress and a motorcycle helmet walking through a local establishment during a early Thursday morning vandalism spree across Sarasota.
Impact on Local Businesses
What they're saying:
"When I came up, there was glass all here; this was shattered right in the middle," Green Zebra Café manager Candace Swann said. "Lucky inside, nothing too much was damaged; she knocked quite a bunch of stuff over."
Swann posted a social media clip alerting customers that the café would be closed Thursday morning, which helped business owners piece the timeline together.
"We felt kind of violated, honestly," Swann said. "I’ve been here 10 years at the end of this month. This is my second home. It kind of felt violating and sad."
As the community responded, the connection between the different crime scenes became clear.
Security cameras show the suspect behind the bar area at the 8-Ball Lounge, where she used a brick to smash windows and destroy liquor bottles, causing thousands of dollars in property damage.
"People recognized her from the bar," Swann said. "People started messaging me and we started putting it all together that she hit a location before us, us and then that bar."
Despite the wreckage, Swann and the owners of the Green Zebra Café expressed empathy for the unidentified woman.
"We were just sad and concerned for this woman," Swann said. "Clearly, she needs help. It was crazy at first, it was us, but then crazy enough to hear she hit multiple locations within an hour was very sad."
The Green Zebra Café, along with the 8-Ball Lounge and The Met, have all reopened.
The front windows of The Green Zebra Cafe remain completely missing as cleanup begins; management notes it will take a few weeks for the plywood to come down and new glass to be installed.
Swann said it will be a few weeks before the plywood comes down and the windows are replaced.
"We are open, visually it will be a little wonky for a few weeks, but we are back serving everybody," Swann said.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 13 reporter Kimberly Kuizon, who interviewed Green Zebra Cafe manager Candace Swann, the owner of the 8-Ball Lounge, Michael Calomeris, and obtained updates from the Sarasota Police Department and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.