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Two attempted smash and grabs overnight: one in Maple Heights, the other in Mentor

On one ATM, a sign read 'ATM emptied nightly'
Posted at 7:16 AM, Mar 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-23 18:06:19-04

Two attempted smash and grabs happened on Wednesday night, one in Maple Heights and the other in Mentor.

Mentor incident

A nasty new trend has gun shops across greater Cleveland on high alert, after another smash and grab at a local gun shop in Mentor in the wee hours of the morning.

A truck drove through the Finest Firearms storefront on Mentor Avenue early Thursday. The owner told News 5 he wasn't surprised when he got the call."It's part of the business now. It happens," he said.

The owner didn't want to release his name, but said this marks the second time Finest Firearms has been hit. Last time, it was a break-in.

He told News 5 he doesn't think the suspects got away with anything this time: he locks up all of the merchandise at night.

"I put it to bed with chains and everything," he said. "If Mentor police hadn't got here quick, they probably could have got some guns,"

Mentor Police are investigating. Their operations commander said the truck used was reported stolen in Cleveland on March 22.

Police chased it, but weren't able to stop it, now they're working to find the people behind the damage.

RELATED: An unusual smash and grab targets a CVS store in Cleveland

Maple Heights incident

The second smash and grab occurred at Mike and Reggie's Beverages at 14141 Granger Road in Maple Heights.

The owner tells News 5 that he intentionally leaves the ATM open at night after he empties it. He even has a sign that reads "ATM emptied nightly," but the robbers clearly didn't read the sign.

There was still plywood on the front of Mike and Reggie's Beverages from another smash and grab the happened eight days ago.

Police don't have any suspects in either incident.

The map below shows a list of smash and grabs that occurred from June 5, 2016, to Jan. 11.