Dozens of residents in Laurel, Maryland woke up this weekend to glass on the ground and their car windows broken after a smash-and-grab spree late Saturday night into Sunday morning.
The police chief says more than 40 cars were broken into and that they are looking for help from the community.
News4 had no problem finding damaged cars along Ashford Boulevard — car after car smashed with shattered glass on the ground windows patched with plastic.
“It’s definitely disheartening having to come out and find you’ve been impacted by something ridiculous that really shouldn’t have happened,” a neighbor told News4.
Police believe the cars were hit primarily in the Laurel Lakes community.
In some cases, valuables were taken, but not always.
Laurel Police Chief Russ Hamill says 45 cars, in all, were damaged.
“I would remind people, please lock your cars. If you have alarms, make sure they’re activated, make sure they’re operational,” he said. “And also look out for each other. If you see something suspicious, just report it.
This isn’t the first time Laurel has been hit with large-scale car break-ins. back in May, News4 reported on more than 100 cases in and around the city. A teen was arrested for the crime and later released to his parents.
Some residents have expressed concern that the consequences aren’t strict enough for these types of crimes to be a deterrent.
“We’re hoping that the rest of the system pays attention to this and starts holding people accountable,” Hamill said. “We’re not asking to be draconian, we’re asking to be realistic and make sure that there are consequences to this type of behavior so we can help bring an end to it.”
Being the victim of this type of crime can set you back $500 to $1,000 for some insurance deductibles, which can be a hardship for some. It can leave you with no car to drive and time missed from work to get it fixed.
“I had not seen this kind of damage prior in this neighborhood, and so certainly really concerned what’s going on and wonder what’s prompting it,” another neighbor said.
Police are asking residents to take a look at their home security cameras to see if they have any footage of the vandal or vandals in action that could help them close the case.
Laurel Police have posted a QR code on social media for residents to send them video or photos that could help with the investigation.
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