Neighbors in a South Lubbock neighborhood said more and more of their cars are being broken into. Kerri Light’s car was broken into this morning. Her stereo system was stolen, but she caught the thieves on camera with her home security system.
“You work so hard for everything that you have, and for someone just to come and take it? It is aggravating…very aggravating,” Light said.
The most aggravating part for Light? This isn’t the first time her family’s cars have been targeted. Her family has had five incidents, since she moved into the Cooper-North neighborhood, just South of 98th in between University and Indiana. Three of the incidents happened in the last few months.
“Once it happens to it once, you’re thinking, ‘Well how many times does it really happen to people,’” Light said.
According to reports, police have responded to over 20 car burglaries since June 1st in the area, and even one auto theft, where the car itself is stolen. Back in April, Light was a victim of auto theft herself. Police later found the car down the street with nothing taken out of it.
Police said thieves will often go up and down the street, trying every handle on the block.
A neighbor from a few blocks over says his parents car was broken into a few weeks ago, and credit cards were stolen.
“They tried to spend a couple hundred dollars at Champs and FootLocker at the mall,” Carson said. “It kind of made me mad, and sad, because that is my future car.”
Police said they have seen an increase in burglaries in the area in the past few months and even years. Light’s auto theft in April was one of only two in the area in 2017, so what police are really watching for are burglaries.
After this morning’s incident, Light’s children said they are spooked.
“I know, personally, people who have moved out of the neighborhood…been broken into too many times,” Light said. “Even though you have the camera footage, unless somebody knows ‘em it doesn’t do much good. It isn’t really helping me out too much.”