BUFFALO, NY — The Buffalo Police Department has made more than 20 arrests linked to looting and break-ins during the Christmas blizzard, and they say more arrests are expected.
According to the Erie County District Attorney, three people have already been prosecuted, accused of targeting stores across the county.
Quality Canna, a smoke shop on Clinton Street, was broken into on Christmas Day and had over 50,000 dollars in product stolen, display cases smashed and both doors busted open.
"On Christmas night, we had a weird feeling, checked the cameras, and our shop was not only being broken into but vandalized," said store PR manager Alexus Ginter.
Ginter also told 7 News reporter Jaurdyn Johnson that the store owners are still trying to find how much in damages they have to assess, but the looting has surprised her due to her growing up in the neighborhood.
"It hurts knowing that people would do something like this here. It is just such a quiet neighborhood. I would have never expected something like that to happen here," said Ginter.
For Ginter, she and the smoke shop owners will do their best to restock and reassess the damages.
"I know it's up in the air right now because of the amount of damage and the amount they lost here. It's going to be hard, but I know they will try," said Ginter.
The smoke shop has only been open for less than a year, and Ginter hopes that the store can make it through these hard times.