Thanks to Lauri for her picture and report in the CHS Facebook Group

A pack of thieves swarmed inside Capitol Hill pot shop The Reef early Tuesday morning after ramming a stolen minivan into the E Olive Way building in another smash and grab burglary targeting the store.

Seattle Police were called to the shop at the intersection of E Olive Way and Denny just before 2:30 AM to a report that a KIA minivan had smashed into the store and multiple males seen entering the business through the broken windows.

According to East Precinct radio updates, three vehicles — a van and two dark colored sedans — were reported fleeing the scene. Police arrived to find only the KIA smashed in reverse into the front of the building. A check of vehicle records show that the KIA was recently reported stolen.

Police reviewing security video reported the break-in took place in a matter of seconds with a crew of seven or more suspects flooding into the store.

It was not immediately reported how much merchandise was stolen from the store before the thieves made their getaway.

The smash and grab was the second time thieves had targeted the store like this. Last October, a team of burglars pulled of a similar heist early on a Monday just before 3 AM. Police said four men entered the store in full facemasks and grabbed items before fleeing westbound in an SUV, leaving a crashed stolen car behind.

The October heist came in a string of similar burglaries at stores across the area. The cars typically used in the ripoffs were stolen with punched-out ignitions.

In 2022, the county looked into forming a taskforce and utilizing pot sales tax revenue to fight crime involving the industry after a wave of robberies targeting the cash-only businesses.

The smash and grabs don’t appear to be focused on cash. Instead, the crews typically grab high-priced cannabis merchandise.

In April, CHS looked at a decade of growth in Capitol Hill’s marijuana retail community since pot sales were legalized in the state. The report noted that The Reef had added sidewalk bollards in front of its doors to hopefully ward off smash and grab break-ins. Tuesday’s break-in targeted the shop’s windows while the bollard-blocked, security door-enhanced front entrance went unscathed.

There were no reported injuries. Seattle Fire was called to the scene to help secure the building.

SPD is investigating.

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