In Arlington Heights, Illinois, a north suburban dealership fell victim to a recent theft where thieves made off with three vehicles valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the owner.
Police said the offenders involved may be responsible for similar crimes at other dealerships.
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The break-in at Autos of Chicago in Arlington Heights was captured on surveillance cameras. The footage revealed masked individuals, one of whom was armed with a crowbar, forcefully entering the premises.
The dealership’s manager said it happened earlier this month, in the overnight hours of March 1.
The video footage showed the thieves inside the showroom, where they used the crowbar to force open a safe that they had dislodged from a wall before taking multiple key fobs.
The video then shows the thieves heading to the parking lot before driving off with three luxury vehicles.
The manager said the combined value of the stolen vehicles, a BMW, an Audi and a Jeep, is around $300,000.
Arlington Heights police said several days later, Chicago police recovered one of those vehicles, but two are still missing.
“When you put all your life into something, and when you work so hard for something, and somebody just comes and take your hard work and everything in a few minutes, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s upsetting,” said Autos of Chicago General Manager Adam Abduli.
Arlington Heights police said they are continuing to investigate, and they believe these suspects are involved in similar crimes at other dealerships in the northwest suburbs. No one is in custody at this time.
Abduli said they would like police to increase nighttime patrols there, and they would like to be able to build a security fence with village approval.
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