A San Jose boba shop owner says she's fed up after her business was broken into for the fifth time since the start of 2021.
The first break-in at Milk Tea Lab on Branham Lane happened in January 2021, the second a month later, the third two months later, the fourth eight months later and the fifth this past weekend.
Wai, the owner, said the cost of the break-ins adds up fast, from stolen speakers, technology and money to the cost of replacing the broken glass.
"That's the fear we are living in every day – 'Oh my God, they might be back again,'" Wai said.
"We had really good, quality speakers that were worth almost four thousand dollars, we want to have a good environment for our customers, but I am so scared to buy new ones [and] get robbed again," she added.
Wai said she called the police the first few times, but after it took them a while to respond after a break-in last March, she now wonders if calling the police does any good.
"In the past year, we’ve seen response times take a little bit longer, especially when there are critical incidents that are unfolding at the same time in the city," San Jose Police Department Officer Steven Aponte said.
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Police said it took officers about an hour and a half to get to Wai's call last March. Aponte noted an hour and a half response is not uncommon when police know the suspect is gone and nobody has been hurt.
Police added that staffing challenges mean they have to prioritize, but also said it's critically important that the community report every crime.
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"The more times that we have calls for service generated at a specific location, it goes back to the squeaky wheel gets the oil kind of formula," Aponte said. He noted that every report can help police track a pattern in an area or even link information to bring a new lead on a case.
Meanwhile, the boba shop is making ends meet and issuing a plea to the thieves.
"And I hope that the people who are doing this to us, please just stop targeting us," Wai said. "We are in a really, really stressful situation as well."
