SAN BERNARDINO >> A man walked into a 99 Cents Only Store and
reportedly stole an employee’s purse and car Sunday evening in San Bernardino.
“I felt like someone just stole a part of my soul,” said Terri Martinez, who has worked at the store since April after she transferred from the Colton location. “(The car) is my only means of transportation. He took my freedom from me. How am I supposed to go back to work?”
Martinez was returning from a break when she noticed her car was not in the parking lot.
“I always park where I can see my car while I work,” she explained.
She then notified her manager and a security guard. Obviously distressed by the theft of her only vehicle, a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, she said her manager told her to go home.
“So when I went to get my purse, that’s when I realized it was gone, too,” she said.
She believes the unidentified man stole her purse, which had the keys to her car inside, and vehicle prior to her break.
The theft, which was captured on surveillance video, took place between 5 and 7 p.m. at the 2028 E. Highland Ave. location, according to San Bernardino police Lt. Richard Lawhead.
The man can be seen walking into the store and then into a hallway where he gets a drink of water and then walks into the men’s bathroom.
“Then you can see him go into the employee break room,” Martinez said.
After rummaging through another employee’s backpack and allegedly taking some items, he then walked up to the employees’ lockers.
“They have slots, so he could see my purse,” Martinez said. The thief is seen grabbing a portion of the purse and violently pulling on the bag until he pulled it through the slats of the padlocked locker.
“He just used brute force,” she said.
Martinez said the man has already tried to use her debit cards and she had to make calls to her bank. She said she is not looking forward to having to replace other items like her driver’s license. Luckily, Martinez said she had removed personal items, including photos of her children and grandchildren, just before the theft.
“I just want my things back,” she said.
Police are investigating the theft. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the San Bernardino Police Department at 909-384-5742.