ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — It took just 20 seconds for a thief to make off with more than $10,000 in scratch-off lottery tickets from a Buscemi's Party Shoppe near 13 Mile Road and Harper in St. Clair Shores early Tuesday morning — and it was all caught on camera.
Watch the full story from St. Clair Shores reporter Peter Maxwell in the video below
The thieves may have been chasing a jackpot, but what they may not realize is that if those stolen tickets are flagged, their big payday could be worth nothing.
"20 seconds and he took everything and left," store manager Hazim Jarbo said.
Surveillance video shows a dark-colored SUV pull into the parking lot. A man in a black hoodie and gray sweatpants jumps out and uses a rock to smash through one of the glass doors.
Once inside, he heads straight to the counter and grabs a massive stack of scratch-off tickets. But he fumbled the bag, leaving several of the plastic casings and tickets behind.
Frank Dahma owns Shores Barber Shop, which is right next door, and made the discovery Tuesday morning.
"It's very scary," Dahma said.
"Glass on the ground and I see the scratch ticket boxes like 3 or 4 of them outside," Dahma said.
Dahma called Buscemi's manager Hazim Jarbo, who then called police.
"I have 64 boxes and I end up with like 20 of them," Jarbo said.
He says the loss totals well over $10,000. Both St. Clair Shores police and the state lottery office are already on the case.
"We're just looking for guidance from the state of Michigan lottery department to help us and try to get this figured out," store attorney Sam Jarbo said.
Michigan Lottery officials told me that when tickets are stolen, their security team works with the retailer to track down the exact serial numbers of the stolen tickets. That information is immediately handed over to investigators to help track down the thieves.
For customers who frequent this Buscemi's, the crime hits close to home.
"I hate that. These are great people. They work really hard for a living. And this is our community," customer Robert Golding said.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call St. Clair Shores police.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
