I was walking dowtown one night around midnight, and I noticed that there were several stores with large, unprotected glass storefronts, and that the streets were pretty much deserted. It occurred to me that someone could simply lob a brick, grab some items, and get away pretty easily. Granted, there would certainly be people in various high-rises that could spot the thief, but...if this person had a mask and a good escape route...it'd be quite easy.

Late at night downtown, you can spot a car coming from a mile away...there are plenty of alleyways and such...

Anyways, has anyone ever done this? I'm not planning it of course, but I'd be interested in some stories.

Never done this, but if you got a whole bunch of bricks you could start a riot and loot what you wanted.

Some stores have silent alarms so be fast and have a good escape route. Preferrably a car.

What if you use a glass cutter? It shouldn't be as noisy as bricks. Just cut near the merchandise you want.

However the store's silent alarm might go off.

MIB

That's such a nigger crime.

There's nothing new about smash-and-grabs. Also storefronts usually have high strength laminated glass.

This. You might want to bring some of those smaller cement blocks instead of bricks. And I'd recommend a bike as a getaway vehicle, great mobility and speed in case you need to take a few alleyways as shortcuts.

Why throw something at the glass? Too much room for error. Get a hammer and give it a good smack; Ten to one you'll find out it's Lexan or laminated glass and won't shatter. You will set off the shatter alarms on the windows, though, which operate via vibration.

Ever see that video where the guy threw the brick at the Lexan storefront window, it bounced back, and pegged him in the face? That's what you want to avoid.

To the person who actually suggested using a "glass cutter," go to your local hardware store and buy a glass cutter, try out that little plan, and report back why it didn't work. I'm tired of explaining it.

Would the ceramic on a spark plug work on these laminated/Lexan windows, or is that just for car windows?

no, that only works on car side windows (tempered safety glass)