MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Brazen thieves are caught on camera breaking into cars in Murfreesboro in broad daylight, and police believe the people responsible are connected to a multi-city crime ring.
Murfreesboro Police responded to 15 car break-ins in just a matter of hours on Saturday. All of the incidents happened at Richard Siegel Soccer Park, SportsCom, Bark Park, Manson Pike Trailhead, and Barfield Park.
"These are professional criminals," said Larry Flowers, Murfreesboro Public Safety Public Information Officer. "They are in and out within a matter of seconds, not even a matter of minutes."
Video shows a silver Audi SUV with no license plate patrolling parking lots. An individual gets out of the car and starts checking door handles on cars. If the car was locked, the individual has no problem busting the window to steal items ranging from purses to debit and credit cards and car keys.
Police are also trying to identify a couple who used several victims' credit cards at Sam's Club in Murfreesboro to purchase gift cards.
Flowers said detectives believe the thieves could be part of the Felony Lane Gang, a group that is going around to different cities and breaking into cars at parks, gyms, walking trails and other recreational areas, and then taking off.
"Typically when they hit Murfreesboro, they also hit areas like Franklin, Mt. Juliet, and Nashville," said Flowers. "They go from city to city committing these crimes."
Detectives also investigated a string of car burglaries at Richard Siegel Soccer Park and SportsCom on Dec. 6. In those cases, a black BMW SUV can be seen on security video footage stopping in the parking lot while two individuals got out and started checking cars in the lot. They took off with items including debit cards, ID cards, and car keys.
While Murfreesboro police have increased patrols in city parks, they are also asking residents to stay alert and keep a close watch on their valuables. Anyone visiting a city park is encouraged to lock vehicles, remove or hide valuables, and take keys or key fobs with them.
Police believe the car has left the city, however, if you know the identity of the individual in the video or have any information on the crimes, call Detective Jessica Rice at 629-201-5550, or email 0933@murfreesborotn.gov.
