Every key was stolen from City Motors in the Bay Area, after thieves pried open a lockbox, before making off with four vehicles in total, including a Mercedes G-Class
November 22, 2023 at 13:01
Last weekend, City Motors, a used car dealership in Hayward, California, was hit by thieves who stole three cars, and took the keys to every vehicle in the showroom. But wait, it gets better. After an appearance by the police, one of our ambitious thieves couldn’t resist the temptation and returned to grab a fourth car. Now that’s what I call dedication to the craft!
The incident unfolded in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, November 19. Thieves forcibly entered the dealership, employing a pickaxe to breach the lockbox that held the dealership’s vehicle keys and force it open.
Using this method, they gained access to a 2018 Mercedes G-Class, which was then driven through the dealership’s front window. Meanwhile, their accomplices in the incident absconded with a BMW X3 and a Honda Civic, hastily making their escape into the night.
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At around 1:00 a.m., Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies showed up on scene to inspect the showroom, reports KTVU. However, they determined that the dealership was actually in the jurisdiction of the Hayward Police Department, called the shop owner, and eventually left.
Security footage shows that after the deputies were gone, and the dealership was empty, one of the thieves returned, and stole another car, this time a Pontiac, using one of the keys they had taken earlier. City Motors General Manager Emilio Espinosa was remarkably patient the next morning, saying he wasn’t upset at the Sheriff’s deputies, just the situation.
“They probably thought they weren’t going to come back. I mean, I would think the same thing,” he said. “But still. They did come back and took the other car.”
Espinosa said that all of the affected locks have been changed since the crime occurred, and the dealership’s doors were boarded up as they awaited a more permanent solution. He expects that the damage will cost $50,000 to $60,000 to fix, to say nothing of the hundreds of thousands in lost vehicles.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that the dealership has been the victim of thefts. A few years ago, the dealership lost a few vehicles, reports KRON4. Although the thieves were never caught, the cars were returned, which Espinosa says gives him some hope.