Pico-Robertson Pizza Shop Ransacked, Reopens Hours Later: “I Cannot Afford to Be Closed”

A few hours after his kosher pizza shop was ransacked at 1708 S. Robertson in Pico-Robertson, Mark Douek reopened it as if nothing had happened.

“I cannot afford to be closed with this economy—taxes are very high, everything is high and I have my employees. I can’t tell them to stay home,” Douek said in a phone interview with the Journal.

At 7 a.m. on Tuesday, March 11, Douek received a call from the owner of the neighboring Robertson Specialty Pharmacy, Bob Eghbali, who told him that both the pharmacy and his pizza shop had been broken into. Douek rushed to his store and found the window smashed, appliances and flooring damaged, the cash register destroyed and money stolen.

Security camera footage revealed what had happened. Three hooded burglars broke in around 4 a.m. After shattering the window, they headed straight for the cash register.

“I left the key in the register, but they decided to destroy the register rather than open it,” said Douek. “The alarm didn’t work for some reason. I forgot to put it on. It took them exactly three and a half minutes to trash the place and leave. I had some money inside the store and they found it.”

Douek estimates the damage to be between $15,000 and $20,000. It took the police three hours to arrive, but he doesn’t hold much hope that the burglars will be caught.

“At the pharmacy next door, it happens at least once or twice a year,” he said. “Thank God this was my first time.”

Stores in the area have experienced several break-ins. In September 2024, a large group of teenagers on bikes broke into the 7-Eleven in Pico-Robertson and trashed the place.

“There were maybe 100 of them. They just entered the store while it was open, took everything and left,” said Douek.

Eghbali estimates the damage to his pharmacy at around $15,000. He told the Journal that break-ins started around the time COVID began, approximately five years ago. Although he keeps high-narcotics locked, burglars continue to break in, likely hoping to find drugs they can sell.

On Tuesday, Douek was bombarded with texts and calls from members of the Jewish community offering their support. Many also posted on his Instagram page.

“I’m grateful that no one was hurt,” he said. “I honestly don’t wish bad on these guys who broke in. I just wish they would fix their lives and become better people.”