'Sophisticated' Thieves Target West Metro Homes, Cars

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Police say a "sophisticated" burglary ring is targeting the west metro. This week alone, thieves hit Big Lake, Monticello, Buffalo and Plymouth.

The Big Lake Police Department says burglars targeted several homes Tuesday night.

When thieves rolled into David Massena's Big Lake neighborhood, his cameras were rolling.

"I caught the robbers on the camera and they actually came to my house and the neighbors across the street house," Massena said.

Massena's surveillance footage shows a group pulling up in this car, then dispersing in all directions. Footage shows the thieves getting into Massena's truck and his neighbor's garage before police arrived.

"They actually took some stuff out of his wife's car in the garage. They took her purse and some keys, and they were actually going into the house. He stopped them before they got into the house," Massena said.

It wasn't their only stop of the night.

"They would take bank cards, jewelry, bags, wallets," said Sgt. Joe Kallah of the Big Lake Police Department.

Police say this well-choreographed group is making their way across the west metro.

"We believe it's the same group – they're using the same methods," Kallah said.

Thieves have been looking for unlocked cars. Police say once they're in, they either steal something inside or look for a garage door opener to gain access to the house.

Police say they identified one suspect by tracking a stolen credit card but have not made any arrests.

"We're asking homeowners moving forward to lock their vehicles, removing the items of value inside of them and also removing their garage door openers," Kallah said.

This is still an open and active investigation. Anyone who has seen anything suspicious is asked to call their local police department.