Streak Of Car Break-Ins At Richmond Mall Prompt Investigation
RICHMOND (KPIX 5) -- A slew of seemingly-organized car break-ins has been happening for months at a Bay Area mall, according to Richmond police.
KPIX 5 obtained newly released surveillance video of some of the break-ins at the Pacific East Mall.
Police said that they've noticed that a lot of the victims are tourists, people that leave bags, suitcases, and valuables in plain sight.
In the video, a man can be seen getting out of his car, looking inside another vehicle, quickly punching in the window and stealing something. These break-ins happen fast, investigators said.
"For example, you have laptop computers, you have gym bags. You also have a lot of suitcases. That's when the suspects break into the cars. It only takes a couple of seconds to break into the car, grab the stuff and escape," explained Lt. Felix Tan of the Richmond Police Department.
Investigators have caught a few suspects already in this investigation.
In one recent theft, the suspects stole $150,000 worth of jewelry. Officers issued a warrant for the arrest of Jalon Walker of Vallejo. They're also looking for Brooklyn Ogletree of Vallejo.
One thing you can to do protect yourself is to keep bags and electronics with you, or at least tucked out of sight.