‘A crime of passion’: Bizarre B.C. bakery break-in caught on camera

The owner of a cake shop in Vancouver’s Dunbar neighbourhood braced for the worst when she found her store had been broken into Friday morning. But what she found captured by a security camera was a break-in beyond her wildest imagination.

Around 3 a.m. that day, a man who appears to be in his 20s kicked in the glass door of Sweet Something after standing outside for about half an hour, knocking on it and pushing it a few times.

He’s then seen wandering to the back of the bakery, washing his hands and drinking a glass of water.

That’s when he noticed a bucket and mop. He took them back to the entrance and began mopping up the broken glass he left.

“He didn’t do the best job cleaning up, but it could have been worse,” owner Emma Irvine told CTV News.

Despite the shop having iPhones and iPads inside, the thief left with just one thing: a box of six chocolate cupcakes topped with champagne-flavoured buttercream icing.

“I think he really wanted some of these cupcakes, I think our cupcakes are that good, that he thought ‘you know, that’s exactly what I need right now,’” Irvine said. “And who doesn’t need a cupcake once in a while? It’s like a crime of passion—a passion for cupcakes.”

And the icing on the cupcakes: three selfies the bandit left on the business’ phone. In them, he dons a pair of funky orange sunglasses.

“Honestly, I think it’s a great selfie. I’d post it if it was mine,” Irvine said.

To cover the costs for the broken door, Irvine made the same chocolate champagne cupcakes and topped them with orange sunglasses cookies.

Due to the absurdity of the event, and the fact that nothing valuable was taken, the business owner is taking it all in stride.

“There’s not one ounce of me that’s even mad or upset about it,” she said. “It could have been so much worse. He got his cupcakes, no one was injured, you can’t be mad. It’s no big deal, we’ll get the door replaced and we’ll drive on.”

The Vancouver Police Department confirmed to CTV News that they are aware of the incident and are investigating.

Irvine said the officers who came to her bakery got a laugh out of the security cam video too, remarking that in all their years they’d never seen a break and enter where the perpetrator cleaned up after himself.

The business owner said she’s watched the video 30 to 40 times, and it still leaves her in stitches.

“I’ve never in my life seen something like this, you can’t help but laugh,” she said. “It’ll forever be one of my favourite memories of owning this bakery.”