Surveillance cameras catch men stealing cars from repair shop, link suspects to other car thefts

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) — Surveillance movie of burglars driving cars straight out of an vehicle store in the center of the night has assisted police detect a male suspected in a string of car thefts in several metro towns.

The operator of Burnett Automotive said the thieves broke the glass on the front door of his 148th and Metcalf place at about 2 a.m. on Friday, opened the bays from the inside of, and drove off with a pickup and a Jeep.

“I’m tremendous pissed off,” stated store owner Conrad Knipp

Burnett Automotive has been in business enterprise due to the fact 1967. They get the job done on about 1,500 autos at 7 days at their six metro destinations. They’ve had catalytic converters taken but hardly ever overall cars and trucks. Right after the first shock, he had to notify shoppers.

“Calling and expressing, ‘Hey, we’ve experienced possession of your car or truck, and we have lost possession of that,’ which is about the worst emotion you can have as a shop operator mainly because, you know, we’re listed here to resolve the vehicles and make them better not shed them,” stated Knipp.

He has 16 cameras in every single retail store. They captured 4K video clip of two adult males getting off with a silver 2004 Chevy Silverado, then a crimson Jeep Wrangler, backing them out a single at a time by means of the bay doors. Knipp posted the video clip and continue to shots of 1 of the adult men on Stolen KC’s Facebook web page and promptly got a identify.

“The people today functioning the Facebook site right away named him. They understood him from way back when,” explained Knipp.

“There are warrants out for his arrest, the human being that we are on the lookout at, and it’s just a make any difference of time,” mentioned Officer John Lacy with the Overland Park Police Section.

A single other factor Knipp’s cameras captured was a U-Haul pulling in. Turns out it was stolen from a dwelling in Lee’s Summit from from a female who was relocating. The female commented on Knipp’s Fb article, then Lee’s Summit law enforcement contacted him about the movie.

“They had loaded all their stuff and were being leaving the future morning, came out and the U-Haul’s gone. Yeah. Can you consider? That’s dreadful,” Knipp mentioned of the woman’s ordeal.

Knipp’s online video aided law enforcement locate the U-Haul close to his shop by following a collection of website traffic cameras. Her issues were being gone, but law enforcement have collected proof.

“We did course of action that car and obtained DNA, fingerprints, factors of that form,” reported Lacy.

Law enforcement found the stolen Jeep Monday morning, harmed but in a position to be fixed at a system store. They are nevertheless on the lookout for the pickup and the person they’ve recognized.

Right after talking with Kansas City, Overland Park and Lee’s Summit law enforcement detectives and looking at them interact with each other, Knipp is self-confident they’ll get it done.

“They all know each and every other,” he remarked. “It’s quite spectacular how they function all alongside one another.”

Knipp stated his consumers have been knowing. Now he’s working with this as a understanding moment, working to appraise how he can enhance safety past the cameras.

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