Minneapolis woman's Kia stolen for a fourth time within one year
MINNEAPOLIS -- A Minneapolis woman says she is at her wit's end after her Kia was stolen for a fourth time Thursday night.
Her surveillance system has caught every theft but she says actually catching the thieves seems to be a problem for police.
Mary Therring says that's what's been happening to her since October, the first time her Kia Sportage was stolen from outside her apartment building near Loring Park.
"It's frustrating because when you don't have a garage that you can park it in, you're just that much more susceptible to it," Therring said.
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Despite having an engine immobilizer, a club and a security camera trained on her car, thieves decided to steal it anyway.
It's part of a continuing trend of thefts, both in Minneapolis and across the country.
In 2022 alone, stolen Kias and Hyundais were tied to at least five homicides, 13 shootings, 36 robberies, and 265 car accidents in Minneapolis.
Therring's car was stolen a second time in January, and an attempt in March failed before it was stolen for a third time in July.
"I just got it back two weeks ago, and it was stolen again last night," Therring said.
Surveillance footage shows the thieves pulling up Thursday night, just after 10 p.m.
It takes just two and a half minutes for them to get into the car, around the security measures, and out of the lot.
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"When people say, 'You need to just get rid of it.' I say, 'Well, then give me the money to pay my loan off, and a down payment on my car. And I would gladly do that,'" Therring said. "As far as I'm concerned, these cars need to be taken off the road, that will fix the problem. You either put the criminals in jail, or you take the vehicles off the road so that there's nothing for them to do."
Therring says she's not sure what she'll do next, but she knows what she won't do.
"I will never buy another Kia ever, no matter how good they are. Never," she said.
Earlier this week, a federal court refused to approve a settlement in a class action suit against Kia and Hyundai for the ease of theft of their vehicles.
Attorney General Keith Ellison has said he's considering a lawsuit against the automakers.
