Crime Report: Caught on Video, Thief Targets Unlocked Cars in Highland Park

Because the incident reports supplied by Dallas police remain largely useless, we must rely on the cops in Highland Park and University Park to provide us with all the juicy details. Last week, a busy little burglar targeted several vehicles along a street that traverses the border between the Park Cities.

At about 1:35 a.m. on Nov. 11, a thief jumped a rear fence in the 3500 block of Potomac Avenue and stole $60 in cash from a 2011 GMC Yukon Denali that had been left unlocked. We know what time this happened because it was captured by the victim’s security cameras. The thief then walked around to the front of the house and tried to open another vehicle there, but — shockingly — it was locked, so the thief moved on in search of easier targets. His search would prove to be fruitful:

• Between 6 p.m. on Nov. 10 and 6 a.m. on Nov. 11, a thief entered a gray 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee that had been left unlocked in the 3400 block of Potomac Avenue and stole a $100 purse that held $40 in cash.
• Between 5 p.m. on Nov. 10 and 3 a.m. on Nov. 11, a thief entered two SUVs that had been left unlocked in front of a house in the 3700 block of Potomac Avenue. A $150 pair of Persol sunglasses and a $150 set of headphones were stolen from a black 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. The thief took registration and insurance papers from a black 2010 GMC Yukon, as well as a fire extinguisher and a credit card holder containing an American Express card and a Mastercard; the cards were used at a Tom Thumb and a 7-Eleven at about 3 a.m. on Nov. 11. The thief apparently had no use for the victim’s Avis Chairman’s Club card nor his two Marquis Jet cards, as those were all found in a neighbor’s yard.
• Between 10 p.m. on Nov. 10 and 9:45 a.m. on Nov. 11, a thief entered a gray 2013 Lexus LX 570 that had been left unlocked in the 3400 block of Potomac Avenue and stole a $750 Louis Vuitton wallet.

Click through for a roundup of other residential crimes in the Park Cities:

Between 9 p.m. on Nov. 10 and 10:10 a.m. on Nov. 11, a thief entered an attached garage in the 3400 block of Normandy Avenue and stole a $300 Marc Jacobs billfold from a white 2010 Lexus RX 350. The billfold held $100 in cash, a credit card, a debit card, and a driver’s license.

At 7:15 p.m. on Nov. 11, a resident of the 4300 block of Glenwick Lane reported that several items had been stolen from her home: an $1,800 Technics 1200 turntable, a $400 iPad, a $400 bracelet, a $350 pair of Gucci sunglasses, a $350 pair of Yves St. Laurent sunglasses, a $275 pair of earrings, a $269 pair of Beats headphones, and a $200 iPhone. The victim last saw all of the items on Oct. 15.

Between 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 and 3 a.m. on Nov. 12, a thief entered a black 2008 Honda Accord that had been left unlocked in the 3200 block of St. Johns Drive and stole a $200 set of Beats earbuds, a $100 pair of Cole Haan sunglasses, a driver’s license, and a Visa credit card, which was used to make a one-dollar purchase at a 7-Eleven at about 3 a.m.

Between 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 7:20 a.m. on Nov. 14, a thief entered a garage that had been left wide open in the 4300 block of Edmondson Avenue and stole an $800 Beretta PX4 9mm pistol from a black 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe that had been left unlocked. The pistol was in a fanny pack that also held two loaded magazines and a flashlight. All of that was stolen, as was $30 in loose change.

Between 8 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 8 a.m. on Nov. 14, a thief entered two sedans — a black 2014 BMW 750 LI and a black 2007 Mercedes 320 — that had been left unlocked behind an electric gate in the 4300 block of Southern Avenue. The thief stole a debit card connected to an account with no money it, as well as a credit card that he or she used at various Walmarts and Walgreens in Dallas, Garland, and Farmers Branch.

Between 11:50 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Nov. 14, a thief stole an $850 iPhone from a front porch in the 3400 block of Amherst Street.

At 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 14, a resident of the 3500 block of Beverly Drive heard a loud crash and discovered that something had broken a window on the second floor of his house. Police could not find the projectile, but they determined that the only location from which that window could have been targeted was a balcony on a neighboring house. But the victim said he gets along fine with that neighbor, who is rarely home. Police were not immediately able to contact the neighbor.

Between 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 and 6 a.m. on Nov. 16, a thief entered a gray 2005 GMC Yukon that had been left unlocked in the 2800 block of McFarlin Boulevard and stole a $25 billfold that held a credit card and an identification card.

Between 11 p.m. on Nov. 15 and 6 a.m. on Nov. 16, a thief entered a blue 2003 Toyota Avalon that had been left unlocked in the 2900 block of McFarlin Boulevard and stole $15 in cash.

Between 10:20 p.m. on Nov. 15 and 9:15 a.m. on Nov. 16, an intruder entered a black 2007 Lexus ES350 that had been left unlocked in the 2900 block of Fondren Drive. Nothing was reported stolen.

Between 1 and 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 16, a thief stole a $300 Louis Vuitton wallet from a white 2012 Mercedes E350 that had been left unlocked in the 2800 block of Fondren Drive. The wallet held four credit cards, three debit cards, and two forms of identification.