At around 10 a.m. on Monday, a 30- to 40-year-old man entered Alley Cat Bookstore on 24th Street and grabbed the store’s laptop from the front counter. The computer was secured with a cable lock, but that didn’t stop this thief, who yanked it out of its anchoring in the wall and made off with his loot.
A store employee ran off in pursuit of the laptop, but found that the suspect, who was fleeing on bicycle, had armed himself. When the store employee caught up with him, the suspect pulled out a taser, effectively discouraging his victim. The suspect fled and was not arrested.
Ryan Smith, and employee at both Alley Cat and Dog Eared Books, said the laptop was the store’s system for ordering books and contained information about books, past and current orders, and photos of art that has been exhibited at the bookstore’s gallery as well as documentation of events that took place there. Nonetheless, Smith said, the bookstore would likely recover from the inconvenience and monetary loss, and the employee who chased down the thief was taking a well-deserved break.
This dude robbed the mission cultural center Monday night at 8pm, also fled on a bike
Sorry to hear this. I love Alley Cat Books. Let’s support them by buying a book there this week.