Fast-Moving Team Of Thieves Steal Multiple Cars' Tires
DENVER (CBS4) - During the past two weeks, a team of thieves has stolen all the wheels off nearly a dozen vehicles in southeast Denver.
Police say the criminals are typically targeting GM trucks and SUVs including Yukons, Suburbans and Chevy Tahoes. They also appear to be able get all four wheels off of a vehicle very quickly.
On South Ash Street just east of Colorado Boulevard, several vehicle owners said they woke up Wednesday morning to find their cars propped on cinder blocks with no tires.
"My neighbor rang the doorbell and I came outside and he asked if I had seen the car
and a I looked at it and it was just a surreal image of this car floating of the ground," one vehicle owner told CBS4.
Another car owner told CBS4 he's glad no one was injured in any of the incidents.
"Nothing can replace the loss of security and the feelings of invasion and things like that, but the family is safe and we are healthy and that's really what's important," he said.
The crimes have been happening in the middle of the night and they are often done with multiple people in a matter of minutes.
"We're probably looking for guys in leather jackets with Tide or M&Ms on them representing NASCAR," the first car owner joked.
The type of crime has also been reported in other parts of the Denver metro area.
Police say there are a number of ways to protect your vehicle. One is to use wheel locks. A thief would then need the key to get the lug nuts off. However, in some cases the suspects broke into vehicles with wheel locks and still found the key in a glove compartment or console. Police therefore urge people with such locks to store the key in a more hidden place.