Crime Report: Hoodlums Are Targeting SUVs With Third-Row Seats Again

Have an SUV with third-row seats? Park Cities police officers suggest either parking in a locked garage or locking down those seats with a device like this Xtra Lock bar.

The theft of third-row seats from SUVs has been termed a “vicious circle.” Burglars steal the seats and sell them to dealers, who sell them back to the victims, who reinstall them in their vehicles, which are then potentially burglarized again.

This has been a problem for years in the Park Cities and the surrounding areas, and the trend ramped up again this month:

• Between 5 p.m. on Oct. 5 and 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 6, a burglar pried open the rear window of a gray 2012 GMC Yukon in the 4600 block of Livingston Avenue and stole the third-row seat.
• Between 4 p.m. on Oct. 9 and 8:15 a.m. on Oct. 10, a burglar pried open the rear window on a silver 2010 GMC Yukon in the 4500 block of Southern Avenue and stole the third-row seat.
• Between 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 and 7 p.m. on Oct. 11, a burglar pried open the rear window of a black 2007 Chevy Tahoe in the 4600 block of Edmondson Avenue and stole the third-row seat.
• Before 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 12, a burglar entered a gray 2007 GMC Yukon in the 4300 block of Amherst Avenue and stole the third-row seat as well as $1,500 worth of Titleist golf clubs.

Police advise SUV owners to lock the seats down with cables and park their vehicles inside locked garages. Of course, many people in the Park Cities opt to park on the streets, as you’ll see if you click through for a roundup of other recent crimes.

Between 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 and 8 a.m. on Oct. 7, a thief stole a gray 2009 Mercedes CL550 from the 2800 block of Daniel Avenue. The $20,000 vehicle held $2,200 worth of golf clubs, a $200 iPad, and a $100 Prada bag.

Between 6 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 8, a burglar entered a black 2012 GMC Acadia in the 4000 block of Amherst Avenue and stole a wallet that held $90 in cash, a credit card, a debit, and a driver’s license. There was no report of forced entry.

At 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 8, a resident of the 3200 block of Dartmouth Avenue reported that a thief entered his tan 2008 Ford F350 between 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 and 5 a.m. on Oct. 2 and stole $200 worth of tools, a $30 iPad charger, and a $30 iPhone charger. There were no signs of forced entry.

Between 5 p.m. on Oct. 4 and 7 p.m. on Oct. 9, a burglar entered a copper 2000 Toyota station wagon in the 4400 block of Larchmont Avenue and stole a $5,000 Remington rifle and an $800 Browning shotgun. There was no report of forced entry.

Between 6 and 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, someone damaged the front end of a green 2007 Acura in the 4000 block of Lexington Avenue while its owner was meditating in Lakeside Park. An officer thought the damage was consistent with what one might see after a collision with another vehicle, but the owner theorized that someone had caused the damage by kicking her car. She could not tell the officer who might want to intentionally damage her car by kicking it.

Between 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 and 7 a.m. on Oct. 11, a vandal cut a 10-inch hole in the convertible top of a silver 1989 Mercedes parked behind a house in the 4400 block of Westway Avenue.

Between 8 a.m. on Oct. 3 and 8 a.m. on Oct. 11, a thief stole a distinctive Huffy bicycle from outside a house in the 4900 block of Abbott Avenue. The turquoise cruiser had lime-green rims, a black Schwinn seat, and a purple-and-gold bell on the handlebars.

At 10:43 p.m. on Oct. 12, officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 4200 block of Lomo Alto Drive to investigate a report of a loud party possibly involving minors. The caller said several people were climbing over the complex’s back fence. By the time officers sorted everything out, at least two “consumption by minor” citations were issued and five teenagers – ages 18, 16, 16, 15, and 15 – were apprehended before being released to their parents.