ATLANTA — Two business owners along Edgewood Avenue are cleaning up after pipes burst during a burglary.
According to Atlanta Police, someone broke into the comedy club Dynamic El Dorado to get into a clothing store next door.
The club's executive director, Miguel Figueroa, said shortly before 4 a.m., two people cut his lock, used tools to break through his walls in two spots, then crawled through the hole to steal from Highstakes Atlanta.
"There was a bunch of insulation and just water going out the door to the sidewalk, just the drywall, just a big mess," Figueroa said.
While the suspects didn't steal anything from the club itself, they did cut a water line, causing it to burst and damaging both businesses.
"It's ridiculous! Just for some jeans and some sneakers?" Figueroa said.
Figueroa described what he saw when he showed up to his club.
"It was just water gushing," Figueroa said.
Then, Figueroa said the thieves crawled through the wall.
"They broke into the bathroom wall. They couldn't make it through," Figueroa said.
While plumbers and mold protectors got to work, the surrounding businesses did not. The water was temporarily shut off.
Shelley Brown is a stylist at a neighboring business, Short Hair Xpress.
"I came in. Two of my clients were here, ready to work, went to go turn on the water, and it was dripping," Brown said.
Brown said she lost money in the process.
"I had to send two people home and call the rest of my four people," Brown said.
The water was restored before the morning ended.
Everett McCauley owns Infinity Grooming Loft next to the salon. His water was out too.
"It could have been any of us," McCauley said.
He's concerned because APD hasn't made any arrests.
"We're just on our Ps and Qs now just to make sure that we keep this neighborhood safe. Maybe we need to beef up on security," McCauley said.
Figueroa said he opened the club five years ago, right before the pandemic. Dynamic El Dorado, Short Hair Xpress, and Infinity Grooming Loft were all impacted by water main breaks in May. And after Tuesday's obstacle, Figueroa said all he can do is laugh.
"I'm trying to stay positive," Figueroa said. "I don't know, maybe COVID made me tough."
Figueroa said he's already feeling the support from the community.
"I've had a lot of people reach out already, offering to come help clean," He said.
To help with the added expenses, Figueroa's team has started an online fundraiser for him.