Collinsville Police Investigating String Of Car Burglaries

Collinsville Police are investigating a string of car burglaries early Thursday morning. Police say the thieves stole a gun from one unlocked car, then stole a truck from an open garage in a neighborhood on the west side of town. 

Police say these weren’t smash-and-grab type burglaries. They say in every one of these cases, the thieves pulled on door handles until they found one that was unlocked and then stole belongings. 

Police say they got several calls early Thursday morning from people in the same neighborhood saying their cars had been rummaged through. Detectives say surveillance video shows four to five people running through the neighborhood, pulling on door handles. They say it’s possible the thieves are juveniles. 

They say in one case, the thieves stole a truck from an open garage because the truck was unlocked, and the keys were left inside. They say the thieves also stole a gun from another unlocked car. Police say these are crimes of opportunity, and unfortunately people make it easier for the thieves by leaving their garages and vehicles unlocked.

“All the videos we have, some of them have a little mask over their face, most of them have gloves on from the videos we have. They’ll just walk up and check the door handles. If it’s locked, then they move on,” said Detective Paul Tucker with Collinsville Police.

Collinsville Police is also rolling out a “9 p.m. Routine” initiative on its Facebook page to encourage people in town to lock their cars and take valuables out of their cars at night. 

If you have any information about these burglaries, call Collinsville police.