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A San Bernardino small business owner is grieving after his home’s arcade was burglarized and his property stolen over Thanksgiving, resulting in nearly $10,000 in damages.
But it wasn’t just the cost that bothered William Luna. The thieves stole the retro and multi-generational games he had spent years collecting and his customers had spent years playing.
“I was devastated,” Luna told KTLA Saturday afternoon. “For them to do that, they just took this away from the kids and adults in this community who love this arcade and come to play the games.”
Luna, who lives in Riverside, said she rushed to her beloved Extraordinaire Arcade at 2347 Sierra Way after receiving a call from a nearby business owner about a robbery just after 3 a.m. Friday.
When we arrived, we found that the arcade had suffered damage equivalent to a day and a half.
“It took almost two days for them to break into my house and do anything. And the only reason I was informed of it was because they were sitting next to us at about 3:30 a.m. Because they broke into the salon,” Luna said. .
“They went through my house and got into her house,” he explained. “They got in through the attic, into the ceiling, across the room, and her alarm went off.”
To make matters worse for Luna, when she later watched footage of the robbery, she recognized some of the suspects.
Luna said her brother closed the store that night and within minutes of him driving away, someone was seen on video breaking in through the arcade’s front door.
“You can’t see this woman’s face, but you can recognize her by the way she walks. She goes to the back of the arcade where the homeless encampment is,” Luna explained. “And after maybe eight minutes, I saw more people coming in.”
Luna said about 18 to 20 people came in and out of his arcade over the course of a day and a half, some leaving with bags of property and others blatantly dragging his games out of the store. There were also people there.
“It’s heartbreaking because I never thought in my life that homeless people would do something like this,” Luna said. “I really didn’t think it was them.”
Luna, who said she was homeless for a period of time as a child, said there were several encampments around the arcade, but none had caused many problems before.
“And I help them in any way I can. I even pay some of them to keep the parking lot clean,” Luna added. “It’s heartbreaking to watch them do this on camera. I recognize them, but there’s nothing I can do.”
Surveillance footage shows thieves pulling gaming consoles from the Extraordinaire Arcade in San Bernardino. November 2024. (Viewer photo) William Luna, the owner of an arcade in San Bernardino who was robbed. November 2024. Business owner William Luna shows how his arcade in San Bernardino was robbed. November 2024. Business owner William Luna shows how his arcade in San Bernardino was robbed. November 2024. Business owner William Luna shows how his arcade in San Bernardino was robbed. November 2024. William Luna shows off the attic he says thieves used to access nearby stores from his San Bernardino arcade. November 2024. Business owner William Luna shows how his arcade in San Bernardino was robbed. November 2024. Business owner William Luna shows how his arcade in San Bernardino was robbed. November 2024. Business owner William Luna shows how his arcade in San Bernardino was robbed. November 2024. Surveillance footage shows thieves dragging game consoles from the Extraordinaire Arcade in San Bernardino. November 2024. (Viewer photo)
San Bernardino police confirmed the robbery report and said the investigation is still ongoing and the suspect remains outstanding. It was not immediately clear whether the suspects were in custody.
The damage has slowed Luna’s business, but he says it’s only temporary.
“We’re going to replace everything. Just give it some time and it’ll be fine,” Luna said. “Many people are asking how I can help. Come to the arcade. Spend your money here. Have fun. I guarantee you will have the best experience of any arcade you’ve ever been to. But please come here so you can support us.”
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