When a Subaru came barreling through the front doors of a CVS in North Auburn around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, it wasn’t an accident—it was the start of what the Placer County Sheriff’s Office is investigating as an attempted burglary gone sideways.
According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle smashed straight through the entrance off Highway 49, sending shattered glass everywhere and scattering merchandise across the store floor. The impact was forceful enough to drive the Subaru well into the building, but here’s where the plan fell apart: surveillance footage showed the driver abandoned the vehicle and bolted from the store on foot. Within moments, they jumped into a second car and disappeared into the pre-dawn darkness.
What makes this story even stranger is what didn’t happen. Deputies who arrived at the scene found the building empty, and after checking the store, they determined that nothing was actually stolen. All that destruction, all that risk, and the suspect apparently came away empty-handed. It’s the kind of failed heist that belongs in a dark comedy—except someone’s going to be stuck with a massive cleanup bill.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office did manage to uncover one important detail: the Subaru used in the ramming was stolen out of Sacramento. But without a suspect description, investigators are still hunting for whoever thought driving a stolen car through a storefront was a solid plan. If you happened to be up that early and saw anything suspicious near the CVS on Highway 49, the sheriff’s office would definitely like to hear from you.
This incident is a reminder of the creative (if criminally misguided) methods some people attempt when targeting businesses. Smash-and-grab tactics have become increasingly common in recent years, though this particular example managed to be all crash and no grab.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
