ATLANTA — Celebrity Artist Manager Rob Hatcher is reacting to thieves who smashed the window of his Range Rover. He says it happened during his birthday weekend.
“Roughly around 2:30 a.m., I walked outside and everything was normal at first, but when I get to the driver’s side, my window was busted completely. This has never happened to me, in all of my 10 years of me living in Atlanta,” Hatcher said.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Hatcher said he had to pay thousands to fix the window.
“The window was only like $249 but because of the way they busted it, and with Range Rover, the way that the glass goes into the motor, they had to take the whole door off and have to get a replacement thing,” he said.
But the frustrating part is they didn’t take anything.
“I did have some cologne in there which was $400 and some other cologne which was $200 and a pair of Gucci glasses, which I was sure they were going to take,” said Hatcher.
Atlanta senior police officer Tasheena Brown said they have noticed an increase in car break-ins across Atlanta.
“Car break-ins are definitely an issue that we are constantly fighting here in the city of Atlanta,” said Brown.
The biggest increases are noticed in Zone 2, which includes Buckhead and Zone 4 which covers Southwest Atlanta. In Zone 2, car break-ins are up 5% from last year. In Zone 4, they’ve experienced a 21% increase, since 2022.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Prominent realtor dies after being hit by a tree during severe storms in Atlanta
- 24-year-old Ga. firefighter killed in line of duty after firetruck rolls over, hits a tree
- Mother dies after stepping onto ant hill in Gwinnett County
That’s why APD started its ‘Clean Car Campaign.’
“That’s literally just removing all valuables from your car, whether it be your purse, wallet, sports duffle bag, computers, laptops, anything like that,” said Brown.
But Brown said the commonly stolen item is firearms.
“That’s probably the biggest thing,” she said.
Hatcher said he learned his lesson.
“It taught me a really valuable lesson, which was always continue to park in valet and keep the cologne and things out of your vehicle,” he said.
APD said you can also park in well-lit areas and also install a car alarm if you haven’t already. Lastly, park near security cameras.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
IN OTHER NEWS:
©2022 Cox Media Group
