Owner of Jeep stolen in broad daylight in downtown Dallas expresses shock, frustration
DALLAS – A video showing a group of thieves stealing a brand-new Jeep – in broad daylight – in downtown Dallas has garnered much attention on social media.
The owner of the Jeep reached out to CBS News Texas about his experience.
"I was upset because it's a personal violation," Thomas Lopez said. "It's like somebody coming into your house."
Lopez said he drove to lunch and parked his Jeep in the 2300 block of Victory Lane on Sunday. He said he never thought that would be the last time he would see his Jeep.
"We were there for about an hour, hour and a half, and I came outside and noticed it was gone!" Lopez said.
The entire theft was caught on video from a nearby neighbor. The video shows two masked men approaching the car in another Jeep. It only took less than two minutes for the men to break the back window, override the computer system, start the Jeep up, and drive off.
Another theft victim, who wished to stay anonymous, said his Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen about a month ago in East Dallas and believes it was the same car the thieves used to steal Lopez's car.
"It just looked so similar," the victim said. "I was angry and shocked. What first went through my head was, 'We have this on video. Why can't these guys be caught?' Crime is increasing tremendously. The police don't have the staff to follow up on all these things."
The CBS News Texas I-Team ran the numbers and found auto theft has increased about 16 percent compared to the same time last year, according to numbers from the Dallas Police Department.
Officer Jesse Carr said Dallas police have been using telephone and Zoom calls to respond to less threatening car theft situations and free up more officers for more serious calls. He also said the department is actively working to expand their auto theft unit.
"We have added other members and officers on special assignment to help speed up and give us more tools to utilize and more personal to help investigate these," Carr said.
Carr also urged the public to immediately call 911 if they see a car theft happening.
Lopez and the other victim both said they were followed by the thieves before their cars were stolen. They hope their moments of misfortune can be a lesson to others.
"Learn from my mistakes," Lopez said. "Protect yourself by giving yourself a nice satellite fob and maybe a kill switch."
"You have to you have to just be aware of that and take precautions," the other victim said.
According to Dallas police, the thefts are being investigated but they have no suspects at this time.