Getaway van gets stuck in mud after DeKalb burglary

LITHONIA, Ga. — A burglary in DeKalb County was stopped short when the getaway car got stuck in mud – but business owners say they need more than a lucky break to stop thieves.

Burglars were stopped in their tracks when their van, loaded with stolen property, got stuck before they could reach the road in Lithonia.

Thieves thought they had the perfect plan: break into a truck yard, load up a U-Haul van with equipment and ride off in the middle of the night. But what they didn't plan for was the weight of the van rolling over a muddy field.

"It's stuck in back and cannot move, and it's loaded with tires and locked up," said business owner Maurice Herron.

He told Channel 2's Carl Willis the burglars even had a second vehicle try to tow the van Thursday night, but no luck. They just left it and now all of it is evidence that he hopes will lead to arrests.

"The officer said that this was not reported stolen, so I'm hoping to God that they can really see who rented it," Herron said.

This was the second break at the business and part of a bigger problem, according to Herron.
He says around eight other trucking businesses have been targeted in the section of DeKalb County, including Marchia Hammond's.

"They hit the property next door two weeks before we were hit and it's just been all over," Hammond said.

Thieves stole truck batteries from her just days after someone got away with $10,000 worth of batteries from Herron. Business owners are taking steps to stop this.

Both business owners say they could use some help to prevent this from happening again.

"I would like everyone in the industry to open their eyes. Do not buy stolen batteries," Herron said.

"We need a lot more police activity in the area. They're breaking in freely and nobody's saying anything," she said.

Both business owners Willis spoke with said they have surveillance cameras, but the video of these incidents has been unclear.

WSBTV