Capitol Hill pot shop The Reef was targeted again overnight in an early Friday morning smash and grab burglary as a team of thieves tried to use a car to crash open the shop’s front door, leaving behind a wrecked and heavily damaged storefront.
The attempted heist is the latest in an ongoing wave of similar ripoffs targeting Seattle’s cannabis industry and businesses with ATMs across the city and one of multiple break-ins in recent years targeting the E Olive Way at Denny store. Friday’s collision to the Capitol Hill store was the most damaging yet.
Another vehicle was reported smashed into a pot shop less than an hour later in SoDo.
Police were called to the corner around 3:30 AM as multiple 911 callers reported a white sedan had smashed into the front of the store. According to East Precinct radio, callers reported a group dressed in black and carrying orange bags fled the scene in two SUVs, one black and one red.
Damage to the store was significant with the front door’s security gate partially smashed and the masonry wall left crumbled. It was not clear if the thieves were able to access the store through the resulting gap.
The car left at the scene smashed into the building was reported as a Hyundai Tucson.
Seattle Fire was called to help secure the building. There were no reported injuries at the scene. SPD reported the intersection of Summit and Denny just east of E Olive Way remained closed to traffic as of 7 AM.
Sidewalk bollards near the front entrance to The Reef installed last year after an October 2023 smash and grab may have helped prevent more significant damage.
Similar break-ins have plagued the Seattle area. In January, 15th Ave E pot shop Ruckus was also hit in a smash and grab as thieves target the businesses restricted to cash-only sales by federal regulations.
The targets have not been limited to cannabis shops. The clubhouse at Seattle’s Bill Wright Golf Complex at Jefferson Park remains under repair after a smash and grab burglary targeted golf equipment and its ATM.
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Capitol Hill pot shop The Reef was targeted again overnight in an early Friday morning smash and grab burglary as a team of thieves tried to use a car to crash open the shop’s front door, lea… Read More
