LANSING, Mich. — Tobacco shop employees are searching for answers after their Grand Ledge store was broken into and robbed over the weekend.
It's all caught on video.
A store employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox 47 it's the first time since he's worked at Smokey Mountain Tobacco Plus that the store has been robbed.
He said that the incident damages more than the store's front window.
"Every time I come in I have to look at those boards behind us, a lot of us work hard for a living, and it's sad to see people do this kind of thing."
Two of the store's security cameras captured the two thieves in action early Saturday morning.
"The window was shattered in...They had thrown a big rock though..."
They took vapes, e-liquids, a carton of cigarettes and more. Those at the store say the robbers were quick about their work – in and out in about 60 seconds. They say it doesn't look like their first robbery.
"They looked like they took a lot of time preparing themselves in terms of what they were wearing and what they did. It looked as if they knew exactly what they wanted. They grabbed it and got out of here pretty quickly," the worker said.
And even though they knew what they were doing, workers think the robbers might be under aged.
The supervisor says the break-in doesn't help the industry's reputation, already tarnished by teen vaping.
"A lot of the product they took is stuff that the younger crowd seems to be going for. And that's the one thing we are trying to stop right now," the worker said. "To see this kind of thing get into the hands of children and people doing this kind of thing is not okay. That's not what it's here for. A lot of the stuff taken is to help people quit."
Under eighteen or not, the shop's workers are disappointed in the culprits.
"It’s not okay to break into anybody's place whether it's a business or a home or a car...it shouldn't be done."
The shop owners said in a statement they will be installing a security system as a result of the break-in.
The Grand Ledge Police Department is investigating the break-in.
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