A man who smashed the front door of a Mobil gas station near Briarwood Mall left the building after failing to gain entry to the cashier's cage, police said.
Nothing was taken during the break-in early Sunday at the Mobil station at 3267 S. State St. It's believed the man may have been after cigarettes, Sgt. Mike Scherba said.
The man used a metal rod — perhaps a tire iron or crowbar — to smash the glass on the store's front door, Scherba said. Officers who responded to the 6:45 a.m. call and reviewed security-camera footage said that once inside, the suspect repeatedly struck at a double-paned glass security door to the cashier's area.
"He hit the display case 10 to 12 times and was not ever able to get into it," Scherba said.
The Mobil station was the scene of an overnight break-in in August in which two suspects stole $10,000 worth of merchandise, including cigarettes, after breaking the glass door. Scherba said police will investigate whether the two incidents are connected.
The suspect is described as a 5-foot-8 white male who wore a black hood, blue jeans and white tennis shoes. Surveillance footage showed him fleeing eastbound toward a Burger King parking lot.