ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is warning about a string of car break-ins.
According to Shale Remien, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office’s public information officer, there have been about 30 reported break-ins since the end of April. She said a group of three to five people have gone from neighborhood to neighborhood looking for unlocked car doors.
“They’re trying every car door handle they can find,” Remien said. “If it happens to be open and unlocked, they’re going to seize that opportunity.”
Remien said most of the break-ins have taken place in subdivisions between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Cash, purses, wallets, registration paperwork, insurance cards and guns have been stolen, according to the sheriff’s office’s records.
“Any sort of firearm can be extremely dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands,” Remien said.
Joseph Petrilli told 7NEWS that cars have been broken into in his neighborhood on at least two occasions in the last two months.
“They did get into a neighbor’s vehicle next to me, ransacked it, made a mess but didn’t get anything of value,” Petrilli said.
The suspects were unable to get into Petrilli’s car because it was locked. But, he said the situation makes him feel violated.
“You don’t want people doing those kinds of things,” Petrilli said. “Are they desperate? What are they doing it for? What’s in a car that they can get?”
Remien said surveillance video shows the suspects using a light-colored vehicle to travel to and from neighborhoods.
Investigators are now working to identify and arrest the suspects involved.
“They’re wearing hoodies and sometimes things to cover their faces,” Remien said. “They know what they’re doing.”
If you see a person trying to break into your car, Remien said you should not approach them and should call 911.
Anyone with information about the break-ins should call the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office at 864-260-4400. You can also remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers.
