Security cameras have tracked a gang of four arsonists hitting two businesses in Adelaide’s west in the early hours of this morning.
One attempt in Fulham failed, while the other has devastated the owner of a popular cafe.
The vision shows two people attempting to kick down a door at the back of a restaurant on Tapley’s Hill Road thirteen times, without success.
The other two targeted the Panini Cartel cafe just before 3:30 am.Â
Security footage shows them smashing through the front entrance with a hammer before using an accelerant to set the premises alight.Â
The entire incident, from forced entry to escape, took only minutes.Â
The group was captured on camera fleeing the scene in a parked getaway car.
Customers arriving at the Panini Cartel cafe were confronted with the aftermath of the fire, which ravaged the shop’s interior.Â
The owner of the cafe, who was too distraught to appear on camera, told 9News that the business had been his “pride and joy for the last eight years”.
“He’s a good guy. So whatever happened is very bad,” a local resident said.
Jedd See, a local resident said, “I’m pretty shocked by that, that someone would do that in such an evil and destructive way”.
Police have confirmed that the arson attack is not being dealt with by Operation Eclipse, a taskforce investigating illicit tobacco crime syndicates in the state.
