A crew of thieves raided the popular Panache Cafe in Lafayette at approximately 5 a.m. Friday while the owner took refuge inside her store, the thieves wrenching a safe off its base and making off with money and other items despite triggering a business alarm.
News of the blitz-style robbery, hallmarked by the presence of up to six masked thieves who strike quickly and violently, has rippled through the small town despite the lack of information from police and contracting sheriff’s agency.
The cafe’s owner said she was first aware she was being robbed when the front glass door of her store at 3653 Mt. Diablo Boulevard shattered and she ran to a location within the store to hide, the thieves apparently unaware she was still inside while they ransacked the business…