Tire thieves target Chevy Silverados
Posted at: 02/01/2013 5:33 PM
| Updated at: 02/01/2013 6:07 PM
By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4
Some very well-organized and efficient thieves are stealing the wheels off pickup trucks all over Albuquerque - and if you're truck is a Chevy Silverado you might be next.
They're not going after Fords, Dodges, Toyotas or Nissans. It's Chevy Silverados they're gunning for.
They got Steve Emrick's 2010 Silverado early Thursday morning, stealing the wheels and tires right off the truck - all four of them - leaving the truck high and dry on blocks in the driveway.
A real expensive yard ornament.
"Neighbor saw a van," said Emrick. "Black colored van in the neighborhood about 5 in the morning. It might've been them and they just came in and jacked it up. Took 'em all off!"
Emrick figures it took at least two guys to do the job, probably equipped with a hydraulic jack and an air wrench for the lug nuts - guys working fast and quiet.
There have been several cases like this in Emrick's neighborhood near Academy and Wyoming, but cops and insurance agents say it's happening all over town, especially on the West Side.
"Tell you what," said Emrick's neighbor Tony Collums. "It seems to be getting worse all the time and it's just ridiculous. You just don't know what to look for or expect."
"We've been here 27 years and this is the worst thing that's happened," said Emrick. "It seems to be getting worse."
The burning question: Why is it always Chevy Silverados?
The GMC Sierra is essentially the same truck. One insurance guy speculated that it might be the Chevy's 20-inch tires. But GMCs, Fords and Dodges all have 20 inch tires too. So it remains a mystery.
Silverados are often too big for the average residential garage, so maybe the best advice is this: If you hear somebody using power tools in your driveway at 4 a.m. - call the police.
Meanwhile, police are working on trying to catch these guys.
 |
Tweet |
|
