Can your shopping habits lead to your being victimized by criminals? Apparently, as one area police chief detailed an occurrence when crooks followed a Lafayette woman from the Walnut Creek Apple Store to a business in her hometown – waiting until she went inside to break into her car and steal two new laptops.
Lafayette Police Chief Benjamin Alldritt said the December 28 incident occurred at approximately 10:57 a.m. when a resident went inside a local business for approximately five minutes – returning to find her passenger side window broken and her computers gone.
Officers were able to locate video surveillance showing a small, black Mercedes with multiple subjects aboard following the victim from the Apple Store to the business in Lafayette. Within three minutes of the victim entering the business, her vehicle was broken into, Alldritt reported.
Investigators determined the suspect vehicle was involved in other auto burglaries in Walnut Creek and San Francisco. In the Walnut Creek cases, the suspect vehicle followed other victims from the Walnut Creek Apple Store, later breaking into their vehicles.
Police have identified the responsible vehicle and conducted surveillance in other jurisdictions, Alldritt said, and the investigation is ongoing.
If you leave two brand new laptops in your vehicle (even for five minutes) and you’re victimized, you have nobody to blame but yourself.
That’s an absurd perspective if you meant it literally– but I agree with a milder version of “don’t tempt the bad guys.” But, come on, if you were targetted and stalked, then “best practice” precautions are superceded by the specific incident. Here, I wonder what could have happened had the victim driven home and brought the computers inside.
I agree, don’t leave things in your car but I think in this case they were following her … so if she had tried to removed the laptops from her car she might of been knocked over the head.
Well, you might blame the people who stole the laptops.
Our first pick…
I don’t know, when in doubt, I tend to give the thieves some blame. I blame the thieves’ parents and the parents of those who are challenged to remember not to leave valuables, including infants, in the car when they go shopping. I am sure there is a bible story that covers this. I would remember it if not for the failings of my own parents.