East County photo store burglarized

Two burglars stole more than $50,000 in merchandise from Johnson Photo Imaging Sunday night.

The incident, which happened around 8:20 p.m. at the 6700 block of 53rd Avenue E., began when the suspects pulled up to the back of the building in a silver or gold-colored Chrysler minivan. 

The driver exited the vehicle and smashed a window with an unknown object, triggering the alarm. 

The driver entered the building through the broken window and grabbed merchandise from behind the counter. He passed the items through the windows to his accomplice, who put the merchandise in their van.

The two drove away before deputies reached the scene. 

Surveillance video captured the incident, but a copy could not be obtained.

The driver is described as a thin male who wore a black T-shirt, dark jeans, black shoes and gloves with a multi-colored hat and a dark shirt wrapped around his face.

The passenger, whose gender is not identified in the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office report,, has dark hair and wore a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans and light-colored shoes with a white shirt wrapped around the face.