Four businesses in Bethesda recovering after Monday morning break-ins

No arrests made, county police say

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July 22, 2026 11:11 a.m.

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Glass shards remained on the sidewalk outside Tobacco and More Mart on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda Tuesday afternoon, the only remnants of glass door shattered in an early Monday morning spree of smash-and-grab robberies targeting four neighboring businesses.

County police spokesperson Shiera Goff told Bethesda Today on Tuesday that they are investigating and no arrests have been made. The incident was first reported by WUSA9.

Surveillance video shared with Bethesda Today by Nails by Tammy shows two people exiting a white sedan shortly before 3 a.m. One person uses a baseball bat to smash the glass door and then both enter the business. The driver of the white sedan remains in the vehicle, which can be seen idling outside and later leaving with the two suspects.

Owner Loc Pham, 57, said the breaking of the glass door triggered the alarm that alerted him through his smartphone. He told Bethesda Today that he is not worried about the money taken from the cash register as much as he is the cost to repair the glass door. 

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“The problem is that the glass door cost me $2,400 which was the biggest expense,” he said. 

Manager of Lilit Cafe, Praneet Aryal, 26, told WUSA9 that the thieves took the cash register and about $1,000.

“In the morning when we walked in, we saw that the glass was broken and the whole register was gone along with a case of beer,” Aryal told Bethesda Today in a phone interview on Tuesday. “It was definitely disheartening. Its not something we expected for anyone to do in this area. We never thought it would happen to us honestly.” 

The cafe has already implemented new security measures, he told Bethesda Today.

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“We bought a bunch of new cameras and already installed them,” Aryal said. 

DX Organic Salon Nail Hair and Spa was hit at 2:51 a.m. Camera footage shared with WUSA9 caught the suspects attempting to take the entire cash register, but only left with $40 after taking one row from the register. 

Owner David Pham, 58, told Bethesda Today that he believes the duo may have entered the business during operating hours to possibly scope out inside before the attack. 

“They ask to go to the restroom or for candy, but maybe they are just coming to look around before looting,” Pham said. 

While all of the owners Bethesda Today spoke with said there have never been any previous break-ins, David Pham and Loc Pham (no relation) said they hope that police step up patrols of the area at night in the wake of this incident.

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“I hope the Montgomery County police officials will patrol the area after midnight to make it more secure,” David said. 

DX Organic Salon Nail Hair and Spa, Nails by Tammy and Lilit Cafe all had their glass doors replaced within hours of the break-ins. Those three have resumed normal operations, however the same cannot be said about Tobacco and More Mart, which Bethesda Today could not get in contact with on Tuesday. 

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine