Panama Joe’s Restaurant and Cantina, a typical hangout spot for some Cal State Long Beach students, was robbed on Sept. 30 around 5 a.m.
The restaurant’s general manager Fabius Rizk said the thief broke in and robbed its ATM at a time when the restaurant was known to be completely unoccupied.
“The thief was in and out of the restaurant before the alarm even went off,” Rizk said. “It’s not that big of a deal, there wasn’t that much damage.”
He also said the restaurant’s safe and registers were untouched and that there was very little damage done to the restaurant itself.
“Since we have taken over Panama Joe’s, we have seen a few robberies on all of Second Street,” Rizk said. “If you have been open for long enough, it’s bound to happen to you. It’s the cost of doing business.”
A company called The ATM Guy owned the machine and has 64 others spread across the city of Long Beach.
“This was the first ATM that has ever been robbed,” said Guy Arzamendi, founder and president of the The ATM Guy. “This was a lesson learned, we are fortifying the machine so it won’t happen again.”
Arzamendi would not reveal how much was stolen from the ATM, but said his insurance company is taking care of the investigation.
There are currently no leads.
Some students who frequent the restaurant were shocked that Panama Joe’s was robbed; others couldn’t believe damage to the business wasn’t worse.
“I don’t understand why Panama Joe’s, of all places [was robbed],” senior engineering major Sidney Legerme said. “Whoever did it probably didn’t want to take too much time trying to get money out of the register, they were probably experienced and knew what they were doing. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was an inside job or someone who worked there before.”
Legerme said that Panama Joe’s is one of the spots on Second Street that he frequents, and it’s unfortunate that someone would break in.
Many bar-hoppers said they wondered why this bar was targeted in particular.
“Somebody was clearly in desperate need and they didn’t know if there was money in there,” said Jasmyn Culpepper, senior child development major. “That was probably wishful thinking to go to the ATM, instead of going for what the establishment had made that night.”
The identity of the thief is still unknown, according to Nancy Pratt of the Long Beach Police Department.
Anyone with any information on the matter is urged to contact the East Division Detectives of the Long Beach Police Department at 562-570-5559.