A South Burnaby craft brewery has reopened after a man broke into the business this week and wreaked havoc inside with a kettlebell.
A staff party at Studio Brewing, on the corner of Beresford Street and Daisy Avenue, had barely wrapped up on Sunday night, when an alarm called police to the business at about 12:30 a.m. Monday, according to general manager Kathryn McKinney.
Two exterior windows had been smashed and the suspect was still inside when officers arrived, according to a Burnaby RCMP statement.
Police said the 33-year-old man was “incoherent and acting unpredictably” and it took a struggle and a Taser to take him into custody.
McKinney, who has watched the brewery’s security footage of the break-in, said the man had used a kettle bell to smash his way into the building and then destroy things inside, causing “tens of thousands of dollars” in damage.
In one bathroom, she said he smashed a mirror, a sink and a toilet.
“He wasn’t here to steal anything. He was just here to destroy things,” she said.
McKinney said it was clear the man “wasn’t of sound mind,” and the staff party had wrapped up just half an hour before he arrived.
“We’re very, very thankful that he did not run into any of our team members,” she said. “It’s really scary.”
McKinney said no one at the brewery recognized the man.
Studio Brewing was closed Monday but was able to reopen by noon Tuesday – with plywood covering the smashed windows – since none of the brewing equipment had been damaged.
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Email cnaylor@burnabynow.com
