Thieves smashed through the barred front window of a vape shop on North Academy Boulevard early Wednesday morning in the latest in a ongoing string of similar burglaries, according to Colorado Springs police.

“They took a stolen car and backed it into the brick wall and busted out the window,” said District Manager Joshua Ward, who oversees the shop, JVapes, and six others in town.

The vape and smoke shop near North Academy and Austin Bluffs Parkway was reopened hours after the 3:30 a.m. break-in. While the front wall was damaged, rows of products were neatly displayed in the shop and a repair crew was boarding up the gaping hole left by the car.

The thieves only took about $200 worth of product and an empty cash register, Ward said. He estimated the damage to the wall will be more costly. While it’s the worst burglary for the store, there have been other attempts. People have damaged the back door with a blow torch and a gun, he said.

Colorado Springs police spokeswoman Caitlin Ford estimated the city has seen about 50 similar burglaries at vape shops, pawn shops and gun stores.

The Gazette previously reported police believe youthful offenders are to blame for the smash-and-grab crimes and typically use stolen vehicles.

Ward agreed that underage people are likely to the blame.

“We have worked very hard to take these products out of kids’ hands. Since they have no other way of obtaining them, I think they just break in,” he said.

His shops have also taken steps toward deterrence, including putting tint on the store windows and installing metal pylons in front of stores, among other steps.

Since the crimes have become more common, Ward said he believes the police are taking them more seriously than they have in the past.