Old Wal-Mart building plundered
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GILROY
Wal-Mart might have moved its inventory out of its old building, but burglars managed to find and make off with $200,000 worth of building materials, police said.
A suspect or suspects broke into a long-vacant building at 7900 Arroyo Circle some time between Nov. 9 and Wednesday, and took copper and electrical equipment, police said. Police – who did not return phone calls Friday afternoon – did not say how the suspect got into the old store.
The building – constructed in 1993 to house a Wal-Mart – has been vacant since September 2005, when the company moved to a larger space at Pacheco Pass Plaza in Southeast Gilroy.
At least two men tried to burglarize the vacant building Oct. 22 at 3:24 a.m., but were foiled by firefighters. The suspects pried open a roof-access lid and took out copper wiring. However, they set off a silent fire alarm in the process, which caused firefighters to rush out to the building.
When the firefighters got there, they saw the suspects and confronted them. However, the suspects dropped the wire, fled out the back door and were not apprehended.
Crime analyst Phyllis Ward did not return phone calls requesting data on when a burglary this costly last occurred.
