EAST POINT, Ga. — East Point police are increasing patrols after several neighbors said they have been the victims of car break-ins at a condo community.
Neighbors told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri that they recently had cameras activated because they had experienced several break-ins at the Hilliard condo community.
Last week the cameras captured a man in the parking lot trying to break into one car, then getting into another and destroying the ignition before leaving empty-handed.
"It's like we're sitting ducks. You know, we're just sitting ducks," said Lauri Clay after seeing the surveillance video. "I was able to see the young man actually in my car tearing up the ignition."
Clay gave Viteri photos of the damage the man did to her ignition and steering column.
Security video also shows him throwing a rock at another car he tried to get into that morning. Clay said her car was unlocked but that this isn't the first time this has happened.
"The last break-in my doors were locked and they broke the windows out," Clay said.
"These guys are not just your looking-for-an-opportunity kind of guys, they sought out to do this kind of crime and they just focused on our area primarily," said Jose Calderon.
Calderon said someone broke into his fiancée's car while she visited in February.
"All the stuff in my truck was out on the ground and my back window had been smashed," Calderon said.
Avant Doll said thieves took her laptop and other items.
Viteri spoke with at least two other neighbors who say the bigger concern is what they could find when they go to their parking lot.
"You never know if they're armed with something other than a rock," Clay said. "If we don't have an increased level of police presence then these kids are going to continue to come back."
East Point police told Viteri Tuesday that they are taking action to address neighbors' concerns, which includes adding uniformed patrols to the area, as well as plainclothes officers.