Cops: Thieves Steal $50K Worth Of Tires From Dealership
LAKE ORION (WWJ) - Police are looking for a group of thieves who stole more than $50,000 worth of tires from higher-end cars, trucks and SUV at a dealership in northern Oakland County.
The sheriff's office said the thefts happened overnight Sunday at Milosch's Palace Chrysler Dodge Jeep & RAM on Lapeer Road in Lake Orion.
When officers arrived on the scene early Monday morning to investigate, they found 13 new vehicles sitting on cinder blocks, all with tires and wheels missing and lug nuts left on the ground. The vehicles targeted were higher end Chargers, Challengers, Jeeps and RAM Trucks.
Police say video surveillance from an adjacent business shows two vehicles and at least four people involved with the crime. The video shows the group entering the dealership's rear storage yard around 11:05 p.m. Sunday and leaving a few hours later, around 1:05 a.m. Monday.
Police say the crooks smashed the vehicles' windows out to obtain the locking lug nut keys before stealing the tires. Officials at the dealership say 52 tires with rims were stolen, valued at more than $50,000.
Police weren't able to develop a description of the suspects due to the poor quality of the surveillance video. They were, however, able to get a description of their vehicles.
The first suspect vehicle is a light-colored duel-axle commercial box truck with the box extended over the cab. The other suspect vehicle is a light-colored four-door SUV, possibly a Jeep Cherokee that's silver or grey in color.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 248-858-4911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. A $1,000 cash reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
To submit a tip about auto-related thefts anytime, call the Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (HEAT) toll-free tip line at 1-800-242-HEAT.
