Jan. 22--A burglar made off with about 500 packs of cigarettes after he smashed his way into a gas station in Costa Mesa early Friday, according to police.
A male wearing a dark hoodie was caught on surveillance video using a rock to break a window at an Arco at the corner of Fairview Road and Fair Drive about 2:53 a.m., Costa Mesa police Sgt. Dan Miles said.
After breaking in, the burglar spent about two minutes loading cigarettes into a trash bag, according to Miles.
Police said the burglar had fled when they responded to the gas station's alarm, which began ringing shortly after he broke the window.
The value of the stolen cigarettes was about $3,000, police estimated.
No further description of the burglar was available.
