Car burglary gang prowls California neighborhood after dark.

A Menacing Band of Car Burglars Caught Roaming California Neighborhood

In the middle of the night earlier this month, a large group of car burglars was apprehended while prowling the streets of a residential California neighborhood. The incident took place in Antioch, California, where about 10 individuals were seen roaming the streets in the early hours of July 6.

According to a resident who witnessed the scene, the car burglars were dressed in hoodies and face coverings as they walked down the streets of Antioch’s Country Hills neighborhood. They targeted several cars, including the vehicle belonging to Mike Allen’s girlfriend.

“They broke into my girlfriend’s car,” Allen said. “She had her baby bag in the car. They went in there rummaging through everything. The following morning, I saw three other cars down the street that they did the same thing.”

Home security footage captured the incidents, revealing one burglar rummaging through a car parked in a driveway while others roamed the street. The footage showed at least eight hooded figures involved in the criminal activity.

Despite the quiet nature of the neighborhood, residents were shocked by the brazenness of the burglars. Mike Allen expressed his disbelief, stating, “You don’t think that gruesome madness would happen out here, but I guess it could happen anywhere.”

Unusual Criminal Activity

Sgt. Price Kendall, a spokesperson for the Antioch Police Department, acknowledged the unusual nature of the incident. He mentioned that it is uncommon to witness such a large group of people “looking into cars and walking the neighborhood.” Typically, car burglaries involve one or two individuals with a vehicle. However, in this case, a large group was seen wandering the neighborhood without any associated cars.

Kendall also noted that the burglars seemed to be targeting unlocked car doors, avoiding breaking and entering. He described the crimes as “opportunistic,” as the security footage revealed the ease with which the burglars approached unlocked vehicles.

Crime Statistics and Rising Issues

The Country Hills neighborhood in Antioch, where the incident occurred, boasts homes with a median selling price of approximately $651,000. However, the area has not been immune to crime. In the first half of this year alone, Antioch reported 827 larcenies, 405 car thefts, and 440 instances of vandalism, making them some of the most common crimes in the city, according to data from Antioch police.

While larger cities in California, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, have been grappling with rising crime rates, drug use, and homelessness, incidents like the car burglaries in Antioch serve as a reminder that no neighborhood is entirely immune to criminal activity.

In Oakland, for example, three suspects smashed as many as 20 car windows in a single morning in January. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has seen a 10% increase in homelessness this year, according to the latest count, released last month. The Bay Area has also experienced a 35% rise in homelessness since 2019, with approximately 38,000 people being homeless on any given night. Unfortunately, crime and open-air drug use often accompany the homeless issue, leading to concerns among residents and businesses.

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