Borrowing loosely from “The Usual Suspects,” we’ve applied a line in the movie to some home-grown video of a team of car burglars in action in San Ramon.
We’ve been posting admonitions about just this sort of thing for weeks now but the hunting ground remains fertile and the hunters continue to come – not only to San Ramon, of course, though the area has been hit hard.
In this instance the owner captured images of the passenger-side window smasher checking out his car, pinpointing the target on the passenger seat, and then coming back for the loot.
As we said. This is happening a lot.
Maybe if we just put out a bin with old computers and other stuff in the parking lots of these stores so at least we wouldn’t get our windows smashed every few days.
Maybe if people didn’t foolishly leave things in their vehicle there wouldn’t be anything to steal.
There’s always that option.
Support harsher penalties for these types of crimes. California has been getting softer and softer on crime, and as a result incidents like this are becoming more frequent and widespread.
Thanks for posting this video. It answered several of my questions. I’ve always wondered how these folks are able to break the window and steal the stuff without being noticed. It never occurred to me that they drive up to the car in another vehicle which means the crime only takes seconds and then they’re gone.
I don’t leave anything in my car so this has never happened to me.
My other misconception was that these criminals randomly break into a car and then search for things to steal. From the video, it seems like they perform reconnaissance work, finding cars with something in it and break into those cars. I’m definitely making an even firmer commitment to leave nothing in my car so that it’s not targeted.
Yes, most definitely, Tom. Someone paid a high price for a pretty comprehensive video on how these folks work: cruise the parking lot, find a likely looking car, send out the reconnaissance to pinpoint the target, then come back and hit the car… we think they used a window punch but we’re not sure. Very fast and they’ve been driving the police… and their victims… crazy.
I didnt have anything in my car and they broke in and rummaged it anyway.
12 yrs living in SF parking on the street not a single broken window. Moved to Lamorinda and was shocked at the pardon the word choice. Stupidity level of people living in the East Bay. I have seen homeless smash windows for bottled water! I’ve seen people smash windows to take USB charging cords! Bags, computers, bikes!, phones left out in plain view you might as well set them on the roof of your car.
Its simple take it with you when you leave the car or place it in the trunk out of sight before you drive to your next location. Don’t put things in the trunk then walk away the crooks just watched you do it.
Wow. Got hit every other week in The City even though we had the car stripped down to bare metal. But, you’re right, it is crazy out here…
Window punch?
We think so. But he sure was quick with it.
So fast…