SAN FRANCISCO – An arrest has been made in connection with a burglary at a landmark LBGTQ+ bar in San Francisco’s South of Market, and the owner says he recognizes the suspect as the boyfriend of a woman who’s part of the cleaning crew.
“This type of situation is really demoralizing, devastating, really,” said Lex Montiel, who owns SF Eagle Bar at 12th and Harrison streets. “It makes me super sad, and I’m angry and frustrated, and so many other feelings.”
It happened just after midnight early Monday at the Eagle, one of the city’s oldest leather bars which was given landmark status in 2021.
Surveillance video shows two men walking up to the bar. They used keys or copies of keys to get inside without forcing entry and used a code to disable the alarm. They used a hand-truck to wheel out a safe containing up to $25,000 and checks for bartenders.
Montiel says he believes one of the men has ties to a cleaning crew – which has since been dismissed – who also helped out around the club.
They were related to the cleaning operation, people who previously helped me to do events and things like that,” Montiel said.
KTVU has learned San Francisco police arrested Lucas Molina-Hernandez, 31, early Wednesday on suspicion of burglary and grand theft. The second intruder is still at large.
The break-in comes as the business is busy renovating to make it more ADA compliant.
“It angers you, that you could know somebody that has actually done this, versus a complete stranger,” said manager Randy Maupin.
Maupin said the burglary has hit staff hard, especially because they take pride in holding fund-raising events to support queer nonprofits.
“It’s our home, it’s our space. It’s what we give to our staff, our community. So when someone comes in and invades and steals from you, you take it personal, Maupin said.
He said the crime comes at a particularly challenging time during the holidays, when bar sales typically go down.
“It’s painful, because a lot of businesses are 30, 40 percent down already and now that we’re hitting the slow season, some businesses could be one large break-in from a closure,” he said.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
