The police are looking for the burglars. (Representational Pic)
Bold burglars in the Bay Area were caught on camera as they brazenly carried out a series of smash-and-grab thefts from a row of parked cars in broad daylight. The videos going viral on social media show no sign of police presence. These criminals, confidently driving a Lexus, systematically targeted cars lining the vicinity of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf despite some bystanders present in the area. They shattered windows, looted belongings, and then seamlessly transitioned to the next vehicle in line. The entire episode was captured on video by a local TV station, KTVU.
In a particularly audacious act, one of the vehicles that was targeted still had an occupant seated in the back, but it didn't deter the criminals from snatching the victim's bag before making their getaway.
Speaking about the situation, San Francisco Police Lieutenant Tracy McCray told New York Post it was "bipping and boosting" - a colloquial term referring to these rampant smash-and-grab incidents that have been plaguing the Bay Area. She noted that the trend escalated significantly during the pandemic, resulting in sidewalks being littered with glass from countless car break-ins.
"It really exploded during the pandemic so much so that someone told me that the sidewalks are glistening and sparkling (with glass from windows) where cars are broken into left and right," she said.
"The infuriating part is the brazenness of it has gotten off the chain. They don't even try to hide what they are doing anymore," the police officer added.
San Francisco had nearly 1,670 car break-ins in the past 30 days, according to the latest data by the San Francisco Police Department. There has been nearly 10,000 thefts from vehicles in the city so far this year.
Areas popular with tourists, such as the North Beach Neighborhood, Japantown and Presidio, have seen the highest break-ins per 10,000 residents.