Nearly 100 Overland Park cars were broken into Thursday. Almost nothing was stolen
Police are searching for suspects after nearly 100 cars were broken into and damaged overnight Thursday in Overland Park.
Officers discovered 93 auto burglaries around 5 a.m. Friday at three residential communities within a few blocks of each other, said John Lacy, a spokesman for the Overland Park Police Department. Most residents said nothing was stolen from their vehicles, but their windows were damaged or broken.
The break-ins occurred at Tallgrass Creek Senior Living Community, Sandstone Creek Apartments and one other apartment complex all within a few blocks of each other, Lacy said.
Living communities were likely targeted because they have lots of cars in one place, he said, and burglars likely used a glass breaker to easily get into each vehicle without leaving fingerprints.
The majority of auto burglaries in Overland Park can be attributed to an unlocked or unsecured vehicle, but Lacy said the burglars in this case broke windows regardless of whether or not each car was locked.
Oftentimes, Lacy said an auto burglar might hit 10 to 20 vehicles in a night, but he believes multiple people were involved to break into more than 90 cars in one night.
“This is a high amount,” he said. This isn’t your typical auto burglary.”
Lacy said he didn’t know why the burglars hadn’t taken more from the vehicles. In the past, he said when auto burglars hit a large amount of vehicles at once, they were looking for something specific, like firearms or cash.
Lacy said police haven’t heard from callers about any leads in the case. He asked Overland Park residents to watch out for anyone who may be lurking in parking lots and looking into vehicles, so that police can address potential burglaries quickly.
