The owners of League of Villains said their shop has recently been the target of thieves, but heroes from the community are helping out.
SAN ANTONIO — A local comic book shop is dealing with villains of its own.
The owners of League of Villains said their shop has been the target of thieves. Store owners Dino De La Fuente and Javier Ramirez said the recent crimes have cost them thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise and store damage.
The first incident happened while the store was closed on February 2. The smash and grab is briefly caught on camera before the store’s internet was disconnected. They believe a group of people broke into their store in the middle of the night.
“They smashed through the window with a giant rock,” said De La Fuente.
He said the group smashed glass displays before taking off with comics, toys and action figures.
The second incident happened during store hours on February 8.
“We didn’t know he was in the store. We heard the beep [alarm] go off when he left. I thought it was my mom playing a joke on me because she likes to hide, but turns out it wasn’t her. It was this random guy!” said Ramirez.
Ramirez locked eyes with the thief before he ran off. He had recognized him from the shop before but said the suspect hasn’t returned since that day.
The store owners aren’t sure why someone would target their store but speculate thieves want to make a quick buck elsewhere.
“You see a lot of these individuals sells these things online,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez and De La Fuente are watching out for their stolen inventory on the internet. They also reported both incidents to San Antonio police.
“It’s sad,” said De La Fuente.
However, the duo is moving forward with a positive attitude. They credit the community as their saving grace.
“Random people we have never seen have come in, once they heard about it, have come in to donate to the store so we have product to fill the space,” said De La Fuente.
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