Thief tunnels into DC liquor and jewelry store, making off with more than $100K in merchandise

WASHINGTON - An Adams Morgan business owner found a massive mess and more than $100,000 of merchandise missing from his store Wednesday morning after a thief broke in overnight. 

According to owner Tam Le, the suspects knocked down a brick wall from a vacant restaurant next to Le Liquor — a neighborhood convenience and jewelry store — and tunneled their way in. 

They left the store ransacked and made off with more than $100,000 in jewelry, the owner tells FOX 5. 

The early morning theft was all caught on camera.

In the video, the suspect wearing a hoodie and holding a crowbar emerges from the hole in the wall that Le says likely took several hours of digging to make entry. 

'There’s sledgehammer, crowbars, probably at least five hours of knocking on the brick," Le said. 

The suspect peers directly into the camera for a brief moment before ducking down.

Le says it all took place around 5:30 a.m. He says no beer, wine or liquor was stolen. It appears the jewelry was the target.

FOX 5 reached out to DC police and we’re awaiting their response.

Le says the establishment has been here for decades and never experienced anything like this but also says there were recent attempts. He tells FOX 5 that they now plan to reinforce the walls.