'One-step-ahead' sneaker store owner found a genius way to stop thieves during a break-in

Tod Perry
Thu, 02 Jan 2025 22:59:55 +0000
Quick thinking, Thives, California, Propition 14, Prop 36, Fresno, Dripondrip, Store owner, Business, Crime, Shoes

On Monday, December 30, a car driven by thieves plowed into the front window of DripOnDrip, an athletic shoe store in Fresno, California, and a team of robbers ran into the place. But after they entered through the busted window, they ran around the store confused for about 30 seconds and then returned to their cars. Why? They couldn’t find anything to steal. The store’s owner, Roman Gonzales, was a step ahead of the thieves by making sure there was very little in his store to take. All they made away with were a few backpacks and some shoes that Gonzales planned to donate to charity.

Evidently, the thieves weren't that bright. “If they would have looked through the window, they would have saved themselves some time and energy from even trying to break in,” Gonzales told KTSM. “They would have noticed that there is nothing here on the floor for them to take.” After having his store gutted by thieves about a year ago, Gonzales ensured it’d never happen again by using clever anti-burglar tactics.

When the store closes every night, he removes all visible merchandise, clears almost the entire floor, and takes every last dime out of the cash register. He even leaves the empty register drawer open by the front window so thieves know there’s nothing they can steal before they bother to break into the place.

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He also ensures that all of the shoes on display are right-footed because there’s not much you can do with just one shoe.

“There’s no value once you take this shoe. I mean, you can’t just buy a left-foot shoe online, either. So you’re not going to be able to use that item or even resell it. It’s just pointless,” Gonzales said. One of the only things left out was some shoes he planned to give to those in need. "They did take some donation shoes that I give away to the community here for teenagers that come in, and I want to make sure that they have some new kicks," Gonzales said.

Gonzales’ approach to preventing his store from being robbed is pretty simple: Don’t give them anything to take.

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After the recent break-in, Gonzales spoke to the people who run the shopping center about having some large concrete blockades installed between the street and his store to prevent cars from smashing into the window. Ultimately, he hopes the people who broke into his shop will be deterred from doing it again. “Let’s hope they get caught and learn from this situation,” Gonzales said.

This story comes as California is dealing with a jump in property crime that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. This bucked a 40-year-trend in the state where crime had dropped for 40 years. Since 1993, the state's violent crime rate has decreased by 49% . To reduce the state’s prison population, the state passed Proposition 14 in 2014, reducing many property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. However, the state passed Proposition 36 in November, which returned many crimes to felony status to reverse the rise in property crime.