Sentinel staff report–
Following vandalism incidents involving smashed windows and thousands of dollars in damage at two Citrus Heights restaurants over the past few month, Citrus Heights police say they are still actively following up on leads.
In a July 11 email, Lt. Chad Morris told The Sentinel that detectives had “identified a person of interest” and were conducting followup as part of their investigation. The lieutenant did not include additional details or a description of the person.
From May: Citrus Heights pizza shop apparently targeted in smash-and-go vandalism
In a subsequent email on Sunday, the lieutenant said both vandalism cases are still “actively under investigation,” and said he hopes to have additional information to share within the next week or two.
Morris said previously that police do not have any information connecting the two vandalism incidents, one of which occurred at Mountain Mike’s Pizza and the other at Fukumi Ramen. He did not specify which vandalism incident the person identified is connected to.
Both incidents involved “smash and go” vandalism of windows, with nothing stolen. A May 8 incident at Mountain Mike’s Pizza on Sunrise Boulevard was caught by surveillance cameras, showing a masked individual smash nearly every window of the restaurant with a hammer.
From June: Citrus Heights restaurant latest target of vandalism in area
Another incident the following month resulted in property damage of around $28,000 at Fukumi Ramen, a popular Japanese noodle restaurant near Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue.
The restaurant’s Shift Leader Calvin Alford said at the time that the bottom portion of several windows were broken along one side of the restaurant and confirmed nothing had been stolen inside. He said employees witnessed a couple who appeared to be homeless arguing near the location earlier the same day, but could not confirm any connection to the vandalism.
Manager of neighboring California Fish Grill, Ken Burrows, told The Sentinel the vandal or vandals broke only those windows out of view of his security cameras.
As previously reported by The Sentinel, multiple windows were also broken at Asian and Cajun 2, located just outside the city limit at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Greenback Lane. The restaurant’s owner told The Sentinel surveillance camera video showed two individuals used a hammer to break several windows at about 4 a.m. on June 11. He said both individuals had their faces covered and could not be identified.
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