For a Few Dollars More: Bar Heist Nets Thieves $10

Maybe the thieves were teetotalers.

Two men in masks broke into the alcohol room at McAlan's Pub & Grill in Rancho Cucamonga after closing early Friday but they didn’t take the booze.

All they got was $10 cash.

For all the damage -- the broken glass, the busted office door, and broken liquor cabinet door -- the measly cash seems hardly worth it, said Joanne Wendler, the pub’s manager.

“It’s kind of irritating for $10,” said Wendler, who mistakenly left the $10 on her office desk. “It’s going to cost us a lot more than $10. That’s the sad thing about it.”

They riffled through the empty cash registers. They broke down an office door. They broke a liquor cabinet door. There was cash in a safe, but they didn’t bother with that.

All they found was $10.

The heist was one of as many as eight that took place at businesses within a six-mile radius in the span of a little more than an hour in the Inland Empire city.

The first one was reported at 1:35 a.m at 9339 Foothill Blvd. Detectives say the thieves hit a nail salon in one suite and an insurance business in another.

Police were investigating three possible break-ins in other suites at that address.

The second case was reported at a hardware store at 2 a.m. at 7110 Archibald Ave. At 2:46 a.m., the thieves hit McAlan's bar on Haven Avenue and a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant next door, officials said.

The total losses from the heists were not immediately known as store managers spent Friday morning tallying damages.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detectives were reviewing surveillance footage of the bar burglary but it wasn’t being released to the public. It apparently shows two men in masks.

“Unfortunately it shows two suspects wearing black ski masks, dark clothing and gloves,” said Cynthia Bachman, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman. “It’s not going to be an easy case for us.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department at (909)477-2800. Caller wishing to remain anonymous can call WeTip at 800-78-CRIME or www.wetip.com.

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