RICHMOND, Va. -- Police arrested a pair of teenagers accused of breaking into nearly 50 cars in 90 days. The cars were parked in Carver and other downtown Richmond neighborhoods. In all 47 cases, the targeted cars were either unlocked or windows were left down, police said.
The Richmond Police detective who interviewed the teenage suspects was able to recover several stolen items, Richmond Police spokeswoman Dionne Waugh wrote in an email.
"Overall, the juveniles were charged with 36 felonies and 11 misdemeanors," she said. "Specifically, one juvenile was charged with 28 felonies and nine misdemeanors while the other one was charged with eight felonies and two misdemeanors."
Richmond's Carver neighborhood
Police used the arrests as an opportunity to remind people to lock their cars and do not leave any items in plain view.
Police say nothing was off-limits to the crooks terrorizing the Carver community and some spots downtown for the past three months.
"Very few ‘smash-and-grabs,’” said Richmond Det. Mark Godwin. “It was mostly people who were just leaving the car doors unlocked."
The big break in the case came from a 911 call Saturday night, after a person visiting the Southern Stove Works Lofts saw people going through the parking lot tapping and pulling on car doors.
An arrest was made. Police say through that investigation, they developed leads on who committed nearly four dozen other break-ins.
Police say some items stolen, including laptops and iPads were sold. But if you're a victim and want to see if police have recovered your stolen property, call (804) 646-5533.
