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Surveillance Video Shows Burglary Suspects Stealing Equipment, Raiding Fridge

Surveillance cameras captured footage of four men breaking in to an Ector County air compressor business Saturday night and stealing an estimated $20,000 of equipment, company owners said.

ECTOR COUNTY, TX (KWES) - Surveillance cameras captured footage of four men breaking in to an Ector County air compressor business Saturday night and stealing an estimated $20,000 of equipment, company owners said.

The unidentified suspects remained at large Monday night.

The family-run business, Allbright & Associates, is located in the 8000 block of Andrews Highway and has reportedly been targeted by burglars in the past.

"We've put thousands of dollars into fences and security [enhancements]," said Mike Allbright, whose family has owned and operated the company for three decades. "We've spent more money on fencing than the amount of money we've [protected from theft]. It's backwards, for sure."

Crooks broke in last year and fled with a $12,000 piece of equipment, he told NewsWest 9.

The machinery was never recovered, Allbright said, and the suspected burglars were never brought to justice.

"This time, Facebook is huge in the [investigation]," he said. "When we posted [clips of the surveillance footage] on Facebook, it went viral... People are sharing it everywhere because everyone's had enough of these break-ins."

Allbright attributed the rise in local burglaries to the latest oil downturn and said several nearby businesses had also been targeted in recent months.

One of the three surveillance video clips he posted on Facebook generated more than 2,000 social media shares from a single account within 48 hours.

The footage shows four men forcing their way through the bolted door of Allbright & Associates' showroom, emptying the contents of the shed and loading dozens of boxes into the bed of a silver pick-up truck.

"They do this for about 20 minutes and then it looks like they leave," said Allbright. "[About half an hour later,] the two younger guys came back [and] started loading stuff up. Guess they didn't feel like they had enough."

He described the two "younger" suspects as appearing to be in their late teens or 20's. Few identifying details were available about the two remaining suspects.

"Right before they drove off, one guy actually ran back in... and grabbed a six-pack of wine coolers from the fridge," Allbright said.

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