Thieves Target Four Cars Left Running To Warm Up In Hammond
(CBS) -- The bitter cold is creating plenty of opportunities for car thieves who are finding easy pickings as people leave their vehicles running to warm up. WBBM's Mike Krauser reports Hammond police are still sorting out a series of thefts that occurred Friday.
Hammond police have two people in custody following the theft of four vehicles that had been left unlocked and running to warm up. It started at about 7 a.m. when a woman reported someone stole her Pontiac. Her car was found crashed and abandoned not far away.
Nearby, police found another vehicle, a Chevy Impala, crashed and abandoned. That one had been reported stolen in Merrillville.
The thieves, according to police, found another car, a Nissan left running and unlocked, nearby. They abandoned that one without crashing and found a Dodge Avenger, again unlocked and running.
The owner saw his car being stolen, hopped into another car and pursued the suspects while talking to police on the phone. They joined the chase and the Avenger hit two parked cars.
The Northwest Indiana Times reports police arrested the two suspects: a 19-year-old from Gary and 20-year-old from Hammond.