The burglar walked up to the front door of Tacos El Rey 2 at 2:35 a.m. Friday and peered in. Eyeing the cash register, the burglar hit the window next to the door twice with a hammer before punching out the glass, just one of several break-ins at local mom-and-pop shops around Erie and Lafayette in recent weeks.

In addition to Tacos El Rey 2 at 3336 Arapahoe Road in Erie, Ridge Liquors and Our Pet Stop in Erie, and Button Rock Bakery in Lafayette, have been hit.

“They went straight to the register, opened it; they took all the money,” said Jose Hernandez, son of the Tacos El Rey 2 owners and the restaurant’s cook. “They took about $800 to $1,000.”

Hernandez said his parents have been in business for 10 years and been at the strip mall just off U.S. 287 and Arapahoe Road since 2019.

“It’s supposed to be a comfort food zone where you can come and enjoy a few tacos, burritos, you know, just a nice little warm place to enjoy comfort food,” Hernandez said. “You just never think it will happen to you, until it does.”

Hernandez said he estimates that it will cost thousands of dollars to repair the broken windows, and it will take weeks to recover from. Hernandez said the family always clears out the register each night, only leaving about $100. But that part of the nightly routine was missed on Thursday Hernandez said. He said the burglary taught the family a “huge lesson.”

“Mentally and emotionally, it’s affected mom and dad quite a bit — feeling unease, feeling unsafe,” Hernandez said. “My dad usually shows up at 5 in the morning. He’s worried that somebody might be here and do something to him in order to get more money.”

Erie Police Department spokeswoman Amber Luttrell said a suspect has not been formally identified, but the department is collaborating with other agencies affected by recent burglaries and pursuing investigative leads.

Despite feeling like police are doing all they can, Hernandez said his family is considering upgrades to security and possibly having pepper spray or a stun gun ready nearby in case they’re in physical danger at the store.

Alycia Abraham from Our Pet Spot, a pet store that’s been in the area since 2020 and is across the parking lot from Tacos El Rey 2, has ordered video cameras to surveil the store after she was burglarized on the same night.

“It’s never really been like this up until recently,” Abraham said. “I grew up in Lafayette, so it was never this bad. It’s interesting times.”

Abraham, who owns the shop with her mom, thinks the recent break-ins reflect the larger financial strain on the community.

“I think people are desperate,” Abraham said. “I mean, stuff is really expensive, and a lot of people who live here are getting priced out. I don’t know if that person just really needed money or if drugs were involved. People are just desperate.”

Hernandez said he feels as though the community has gotten more unsafe over time.

“We’ve had a few run-ins with unhinged people,” Hernandez said. He mentioned a time when a stranger yelled racist comments at his mom when she was leaving the store.

“What’s going to happen next? What’s the next step? Is somebody going to get hurt?” Hernandez said.

In addition to stopping by for a bite to eat, Hernandez said residents can support impacted businesses by “standing together as a whole and trying to prevent any future conflicts.”