An uptick in car tire thefts is rattling residents of two L.A. neighborhoods, with some waking up to their cars on cinder blocks.
But rather than all four wheels being taken, it seems that the thieves only have time for two.
A viewer reached out to KTLA on Sunday night to report that “at least a dozen cars” had some of their wheels stolen on Saturday night around Beverly Grove and the Fairfax District.
The viewer, Jason, said he was a victim and noted that he posted a photo of his truck on cinder blocks parked along Edinburgh Street in Beverly Grove to the Neighbors app, which prompted others who live nearby to report similar incidents.
“[My post] sparked others to post that they were victimized too,” he said. “All of the vehicles were left on the same exact style cinder block.”
Jason elaborated that incidents like these have been happening “for a long time” in the area; other posts on community safety apps like Neighbors and Ring which he provided to KTLA indicate similar thefts may have taken place as far back as July 10.
On Monday morning, at least one vehicle — Jason’s truck — still remained on cinder blocks. It appeared that other residents who were affected either moved their vehicles or got the tires replaced already.
“I [was starting] my beautiful Sunday morning when I found lug nuts on the ground, and I determined right away that two of my driver’s side tires were stolen,” he explained to KTLA on Monday morning. “I filed a police report and, out of curiosity, I posted photos on the Neighbors app [only to] find out there were a dozen other victims within a mile radius of the Beverly Grove and Fairfax areas.”
Jason and other victims then compared security footage and found that there were several similarities between the thefts, including the fact that the same style cinder blocks were used for “all the other vehicles” involved and that only the driver’s side tires were removed.
“We ended up finding video footage circulating around [that showed] a white Chevy 3500 van…from there, we’ve just been sharing the word,” he said. “There are two individuals [who are seen] leaving the van and what they do is park their van next to a vehicle to block the view from others. It takes about five to eight minutes for them to remove the wheels as seen in the video, and then they are on their way.”
Jason said that there is a detective on the case who told him that the crimes appear to take place between 3 and 6 in the morning; however, the detective has yet to provide him or other area residents with any leads.
He also said he started a neighborhood watch program in the wake of the suspicious activity, and that the incidents have caused neighbors to team up to conduct their own investigations alongside law enforcement.
KTLA requested comment from the L.A. Police Department on the thefts; however, they were not immediately able to provide any details.
The post Resident: Thieves have stolen driver’s side tires from ‘at least a dozen’ cars in L.A. neighborhoods appeared first on KTLA.
