Dallas

Thieves Steal Wheels from Several Cars in Park Cities

Police in Dallas, Highland Park and University Park are dealing with a recent string of wheel thefts.

In the last week at least nine different drivers have had their vehicles' wheels stolen.

"I walked outside last Tuesday morning and my car was on blocks right over there," said out Jon Filbert.

The thieves caused $7,000 in damage, after stealing all four of Filbert's wheels and leaving the car on decorative stones from a nearby neighbor's front yard. It happened on the street right outside Filbert's home.

"They messed up the both running boards, the front bumper when they put it on the stones. The rotors are kind of messed up, too, all the alignment in the car," explained Filbert.

Large SUVs are the target, police say. Those wheels are high in demand and likely end up on the internet where they are hard to track.

Most of the thefts happened in University Park, with others in Highland Park and also in Dallas near the Park Cities.

Some thieves in University Park were even bold enough to take wheels from a car in the driveway.

"It doesn't take long. They generally work in a team. You have a driver in the getaway car, and there's a couple of folks that are inside the vehicle, and they just jump out, jack the car up, support it with blocks," said Sgt. Lance Koppa, with the Highland Park Department of Public Safety.

Police are recommending parking in your garage and getting lockable lug nuts for your vehicles.

Police investigators in the Park Cities and working with Dallas police to solve these thefts.

Contact Us