CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga — Clayton County police said they are currently experiencing an increase in entering autos and stolen vehicles.
The suspects are targeting all Kia and Hyundai models, opening doors to check if they are unlocked, according to police.
In some cases, the suspects are damaging the car first before breaking in, especially if they notice any valuables inside the vehicles.
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Police said they have made multiple arrests, but they are dealing with multiple groups.
During interviews, suspects have admitted to using the stolen vehicles to go and commit other crimes. They admitted to breaking into vehicles looking specifically for guns but will take whatever is valuable inside.
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Channel 2 Action News has covered the “Kia Boyz” viral trend in the past extensively. The trend has led to car thefts across the country and specifically in Metro Atlanta.
Channel 2 spoke to an East Point woman who filed a class action lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai claiming their vehicles contain a defect that makes them prime targets for theft.
“Because vehicles manufactured and sold by Kia and Hyundai suffer from a defect, thieves only need to gain access to a vehicle, and once inside, strip the ignition column and insert a screwdriver, knife, or even a USB cord to start the vehicle,” the lawsuit says. “Despite the rise in vehicle thefts, Kia and Hyundai have not issued a recall or offered to install vehicle immobilizers in the affected vehicles.”
In response to these thefts back in Nov. 2022, Hyundai told Channel 2 that it developed a software update to further secure these targeted vehicles with the intention of having that in its new vehicles early this year.
While Kia said it was “developing and testing software updates” to make these targeted cars more secure.
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