SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Two thieves were captured on surveillance video breaking into Bay Breakers Boxing Gym early Saturday morning, leaving the owner feeling “sad and angry” after valuable items were stolen.
The break-in occurred around 5 a.m. when two unidentified suspects entered the gym located at 2001 Van Ness Ave., according to the San Francisco Police Department. Officers arrived within ten minutes of the call, but the suspects had already fled.
Stolen items included the gym’s computer, card reader, public announcement system, boxing gloves, and hand wraps. While no suspect descriptions are available, the surveillance video shows the intruders during the act.
Bay Breakers Boxing Gym, co-owned by Abbe Skinner and Daniel Rodriguez-Mendez, reopened for members just hours after the burglary.
“We still showed up. We still opened the gym,” Rodriguez-Mendez said. “It doesn’t matter. They got us in the first round, but there are 12 rounds in a fight.”
Despite the initial feelings of frustration and violation, Skinner expressed gratitude for the community’s support.
“It has been really heartwarming, the support we’ve gotten,” Skinner told KRON4. “We focus on the bad thing, but then immediately following that, we have strangers on the internet supporting us. At the end of the day, the bigger feeling is that feeling of love and support.”
Rodriguez-Mendez acknowledged the challenging environment for small businesses in San Francisco but remains optimistic due to the overwhelming community support.
“I know the San Francisco community is very supportive of small businesses, but the environment is hostile to small businesses,” he said. “We had a huge outpour of support that made me tear up a little. It reminded me why we are doing this. Just a couple of bad people doing what they need to do to survive or just because we were an easy target shouldn’t overshadow the fact that we’re here to build a community… it’s not going to stop us.”
Rodriguez-Mendez emphasized that the best way to support the gym is to attend classes and show up.
As of Monday morning, no arrests have been made. The San Francisco Police Department urges anyone with information about the burglary to contact them at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411, starting the message with “SFPD.”