MOLINE, Ill. — Over the course of a single month, Coya's Cafe has encountered two major incidents at its 4th Avenue restaurant. In November, a car struck the front of the restaurant. After reopening, the café was broken into last weekend and had a week's worth of earnings stolen from its safe.
Owner Blanca Moran said the recent events have left her sad and angry at the same time.
"The accident happened and now the robbery, what else can happen?" Moran said. "We all work a lot and for someone to come in and do something like this, that would bother anyone."
Moran says she's still waiting to hear back from her insurance after the car crash. She also filed a police report in hopes of finding those who got away with her money.
Tammy Needs, who dines at Coya's, said it's disappointing to see one of her favorite restaurants be robbed of their earnings.
"I don't understand why people do things like this," Needs said. "There's always a way to figure things out and you don't have to break in places and rob them and make our communities unsafe."
Avery Donaldson, another diner, added the community should rally behind the restaurant and show them support during these hard times.
"Everyone knows even a dollar can help a long way," Donaldson said. "We need to do anything we can to get them back on their feet."
The robbery is believed to have occurred between the night of Sunday, Dec. 10, and the morning of Monday, Dec. 11. If anyone has any information regarding the incident, they are asked to contact the Moline Police Department.
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