Nearly 100 vehicle break-ins being investigated in Overland Park
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Police are asking for the public's help after a rash of car burglaries in southern Johnson County over the weekend.
Dozens of Overland Park residents woke up to find their car window shattered and items inside - gone.
Police said 93 vehicles were broken into near 139th Street and Metcalf Avenue. It happened at a couple different apartment complexes and one large senior living community.
Sometime between Thursday night after 10 p.m. and Friday 5 a.m. thieves broke out windows to break-in vehicles. It happened to nearly 100 people.
"Oh my gosh," Robert VanLandingham said. "I hadn't heard that many."
VanLandingham was one of them. His car was sitting in the Tallgrass Creek Senior Living Community parking lot where it has more than a decade. He said this kind of criminal activity is unusual for the area.
"I've been there for 13 years and never had this kind of trouble before," VanLandingham said.
"This is pretty shocking," Officer John Lacy said.
Some vehicles were locked, but it didn't matter.
"Every car had damage to it," Lacy said.
Thieves went car to car bashing in windows to gain access, according to Lacy.
"We had a lot of vehicles that were damaged, but not a high theft, which is not normal here in overland park," Lacy said. "Usually, we'll see items stolen from the vehicle but it seemed as though they were looking for something specifically, not real sure."
Most of these apartment complexes, including Sandstone Creek, are gated and Tallgrass Cree has security checking in people.
In a statement to FOX4, a spokesperson with Tallgrass said in part, "We take this matter very seriously and have implemented additional security measures, such as extra surveillance cameras. We have encouraged residents to stay vigilant and to lock their vehicles."
"If you see someone in the parking lot walking around don't hesitate, call 911. Especially if they're pulling on locks and handles thing of that sort," Lacy said.
Police said they do not have any suspects at this time. If you have any information, call Overland Park Police.