Thief uses U-Haul truck to smash into Creston-Kenilworth tavern

Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 23, 2023

Just before sunrise on Monday morning, November 20, video surveillance cameras picked up threatening activity outside the Ship Ahoy Tavern, on S.E. Gladstone Street at 29th Avenue.

Cameras recorded U-Haul box truck pulling up and stopping by the S.E. 29th Avenue side of the building. The driver got out and moved the business’ rolling trash bins out of the way. The driver then got back into the truck, revved the engine, and backed into the building – smashing as large hole into the wall.

Central Precinct officers were initially dispatched at 6:23 a.m. for a “Hit & Run, Priority” – which it certainly was – but not for the attempted burglary, which they found out about when they arrived. The responding officers then called for a Portland Fire & Rescue team to come evaluate the structural integrity of the smashed-in tavern at 6:32 a.m.

“Had we been open, there’s a table on the other side where the wall was smashed in, and a jukebox right there too,” Manager Sarah Shannon told reporters.

She believed that the thief was aiming to snatch the ATM near the window – which means he had been in the bar before, and could even have been a customer – but the ATM was still bolted in place – and nothing appeared to be missing, Shannon observed.

The lack of anything lost in a burglary attempt does not mean there was no loss – the considerable cost of replacing the wall and restoring full integrity to the building remained to be dealt with. In the meantime the business turned its attention to remaining open to customers, although not to the elements outside, as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, the investigation into the incident continues, and if you have any information or suspicions about this incident, and haven’t yet talked to the police about it, please email the PPB Burglary Unit Investigators – crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov – and refer to Case No. 23-301456.