'I start filming': Chicago man tapes repeated car break-ins, wants CPD to catch the suspects
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Only on 2.
Imagine looking out your window to see the same crew breaking into cars over and over again. CBS 2's Sabrina Franza spoke to a Chicago man so frustrated by what he's seeing: He picked up his camera and started recording.
The witness CBS 2 spoke with said this happens almost every single day. The culprits come by a parking lot and scope out the scene to later return and break into peoples' cars.
"Same vehicle breaking into cars and so I started filming it. And every day, I've been noticing the same thing happening over and over and over again."
Shane Golden is the man behind the lens. The Good Samaritan who doesn't want these people knowing where he lives, working from home, he has a birds eye view of their break-ins.
"I bought a pair of binoculars because of all this, and I can see into the vehicle."
He said he sees the same three people doing the same bad thing.
"Inching their way up to every car. They'll come back in an hour or so, and they start breaking into vehicles and then they leave and I'll do two or three times a day," Golden said.
At an AirGarage on Lake and Halstead since April.
"Handbags, backpacks, purses. Any content that they can get away with inside the car."
CBS 2 reached out to Chicago Police Department about this, giving them the license plate of the thieves as well as the description of their cars. CPD said they had no information.
Neighbors CBS 2 the 12th District is aware, because they've been reporting the thefts. Golden alone has called many times.
"Countless times, they've come out, three times of the number of times I've called. I've lost count of the amount of times I've called 911," Golden said.
Though his window, he documents it all.
"I feel like I gathered more information on the people that are doing this then they even have. In fact, if they have anything it's because I gave it to them," Golden said.
Because nothing is done, he'll even leave notes on targeted cars, so their owners can text him for the video.
"I wish more people would do this because I feel like if we all said some thing when we see something, I think there would be less crime, or at least it would be a deterrent. People probably think twice about it," Golden said.
CBS 2 reached out to Ald. Walter Burnett's (27th) office to see if they have any idea about all of this. They told us the alderman has no idea and no comment.
Meanwhile Golden is just going to keep doing what he can do which is take those videos from above and get them to the people whose cars are broken into.
CBS 2 also spoke to the owner of the parking lot, AirGarage. He said in the six months since they acquired the lot, the company has spent 20% of its revenue on security and security cameras.
They've posted signs telling people not to leave valuable in their car and they have support lines that are available 24-hours hours a day. But the company has not had any direct contact with police.
