Perrigo Park in Redmond is not a spot where people expect to worry about crime.
“it’s so unusual, so we often leave our cars unlocked,” said Redmond resident Glen Peterson.
But last Wednesday evening, Redmond police got reports of multiple vehicles broken into – with windows busted and shattered glass all over the parking lot.
As officers were investigating, a victim whose credit cards were stolen, got reports of fraudulent charges to buy video game systems at a nearby department store, where officers confronted a 31-year-old man.
“The suspect fled the store and then we were able to locate after a foot chase, locate the suspect and found the credit cards belonging to the victim,” said Jill Green, a Redmond Police spokesperson.
Redmond PD says they’ve responded to at least 425 car prowls so far this year.
Redmond resident Bonnie Weston says she’s more careful after someone broke into her car in downtown Redmond.
“I was going to work out and somebody jumped into my car and tried to steal all these valuables. So now I’m really nervous about parking my car and, of course, hearing about that here at the park,” said Weston.
With the warm holiday weekend, police say a spike in car prowls is likely.
“We are asking the community to please be vigilant and lock their car doors. Make sure all the valuables are out of sight, either locked in the trunk, left at home – take your wallets with you. You don’t want to be a victim of the car prowls,” said Green.