LUMBERTON — The Lumberton Police Department is investigating the Friday morning robbery and arson of the Quick Mart at 2011 Carthage Road that was heavily damaged in the blaze, particularly inside.

The burglars gained entry to the building by breaking a hole into the store’s back wall, which is made of one layer of brick and another of concrete blocks.

The store’s alarm alerted police about 4:55 a.m., and an officer noticed smoke coming from the store and saw evidence the store had been broken into, according to a statement from the Lumberton Police Department. The Lumberton Fire Department was then dispatched.

“They came in, beat the hole in the wall, broke in the store, come and got what they wanted and then set fire to the store,” said Leonard Britt, owner of Britts Top of the Line Construction, which performs maintenance work on the building. The company was on-site Friday to secure the store and generate repair estimates.

More than one person was involved, he said.

“They were here for a few minutes,” Britt said.

The store lost an estimated $12,000 in lottery tickets and $30,000 in cigarettes and cigars, said Steve Alshahi, store manager. Security camera footage from the store has been given to law enforcement.

There is a lead in the case, he said.

“Someone tried to sell cigarettes in Shannon today,” Alshahi said Friday.

But that person didn’t know the owner of the Sunoco store at which they tried to sell the cigarettes also owns the Quick Mart, he said.

“And he (the store’s owner) thinks it’s one of these guys,” Alshahi said.

He thinks the alarm may have malfunctioned during the robbery, Alshahi said.

“I think that sensor, when they were in there, it didn’t go off,” he said.

The alarm should have activated earlier during the crime, he said.

“They got to go through all that to get there,” Alshahi said of the making of the hole in the wall.

The convenience store and gas station employs three people.

“Right now, we’re just like shocked about what happened,” the store manager said.

Alshahi said they’ll be out of jobs until the store is renovated.

It wasn’t known Friday afternoon how much it will cost and how long it will take to get the store open for business again.

The State Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation, which is a standard operating procedure in the event of damage to commercial property, according to the Lumberton Police Department. Anyone with information should contact Detective David Williford by calling 910-671-3845.

Leonard Britt, owner of Britts Top of the Line Construction, stands Friday by a hole made into the back wall of the Quick Mart, located at 2011 Carthage Road. Anyone with information on the case should contact Detective David Williford by calling 910-671-3845.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_fire3.jpgLeonard Britt, owner of Britts Top of the Line Construction, stands Friday by a hole made into the back wall of the Quick Mart, located at 2011 Carthage Road. Anyone with information on the case should contact Detective David Williford by calling 910-671-3845.

Jessica Horne

Staff writer

Reach Jessica Horne at 910-416-5165 or via email at [email protected]