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Apr 28, 2023

Two Nite Owl tattoo shops burglarized in span of days

Athena Castillo, 8, giggles as she gets her shoes tied by her grandmother Diane

Athena Castillo, 8, giggles as she gets her shoes tied by her grandmother Diane Castillo at Nite Owl Tattoo Studio in San Antonio. Athena is most likely the youngest tattoo artist in San Antonio. Recently, two Night Owl Tattoo shops were burglarized a week apart.

A burglar stole more than $4,000 in cash and equipment after breaking into two Nite Owl Tattoo shop locations exactly one week apart.

The first break-in occurred before 3:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday at the shop on Highway 90.

ALSO READ: An 8-year-old girl is San Antonio's youngest tattoo artist, and she has plenty of customers

Owner Diane Castillo on Tuesday said that she discovered the shop was broken into later that morning when an employee thought someone had forgotten to sweep.

"I looked at (security camera) and I could see the curtain blowing through the window," she said.

Security cameras captured footage of the burglar, who had a bandana covering his mouth, breaking through the window with what appeared to be a sledgehammer, and heading straight inside toward a safe.

Among the stolen items was something precious to Castillo, a tattoo machine she inherited from the family of a former employee, tattoo artist Tiffany Lozano. She was a talented artist known in the industry who died in 2021.

The words "RIP TIFF" are written on the outside of the box.

"When I look through the video, I think, ‘that's an inside job for sure,’" she said. "He knew exactly where to go."

The second burlary occurred exactly seven days later, at the Nite Owl on Fredericksberg Road in the Deco District. It too was captured on security camera footage.

The burglar broke the window to the storefront after 3 a.m., but this time stumbled through the dark because he couldn't find the light switch, Castillo said.

Yet, he managed to grab a suitcase full of tattoo machines.

Castillo has since had the glass replaced on the first store that was broken into, and has beefed up the security and alarms on both shops. She's even added security measures to her safes in ways she never thought of before.

"I’m still trying to do the things I need to do to take care of business," she said. "It's so overwhelming."

Castillo reported both burglaries to San Antonio police, who are investigating the incidents, she said.

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