Fort Bend County theft: The 7-minute crime that cost one victim thousands, caught on camera, criminals wanted
String of car thefts reported in Mission Bend
Video captured thieves stealing full tires and rims from a car and leave it on bricks. FOX 26 Reporter Abigail Dye explains.
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - Video shows two men stealing the tires off a sedan in Mission Bend around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
What we know:
The owner came out to her car, wheel-less, on bricks.
"Two bricks holding my car up, no tires, no rims," she said.
Her initial feelings when seeing that she said, "anger, frustration and just.. Pissed off."
She says the crime cost her $2,300.
The video shows the two thieves taking all four tires off the car in about 7 minutes and getting away in a white SUV resembling a Chevy Tahoe.
What you can do:
In former reports, we've spoken to experts who say when we're talking about wheels, the best thing you can do to keep them on your car when thieves are rolling around, is to put wheel locks on them.
They look and function like normal lug nuts, but are cut differently, so they can't be removed with a standard tool, only a special key.
"$25 dollars with free installation," said Alex of Rim Pros. "If you can buy a Big Mac, you can buy something like this," he said.
He says he hears about this kind of wheel theft all the time, and taking a simple precaution can prevent it.
"This is just a prevention, it's not full proof - if they really want your rims - they'll take the whole vehicle. For that, you want a security system," he said.
If you recognize the thieves, contact the Fort Ben County Sheriff's office at (281) 341-4665.
The Source: FOX 26 Reporter Abigail Dye spoke with one victim as well as a tire shop about how you can protect yourself.