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Thieves target unlocked cars in Red Bank, Columbia, Cayce

Police say it's a crime that takes two seconds to prevent.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- It's a popular crime of opportunity in the Midlands, and three departments are working to solve the latest rash of thefts.

Criminals are rummaging through unlocked cars and taking your things. Police say it's a crime that takes two seconds to prevent.

The first string of thefts happened in the Villages of White Knoll neighborhood in Red Bank.

"I always lock my door. This is the one time, of course, that I did not...When I looked into the car to check if the lights were on, I noticed all my stuff was just strewn across the car," said Jane Kingsland. "I was freaking out."

Kingsland and her husband, Ryan, say thieves stole sunglasses out of their car around 1 a.m. January 4.

They caught the suspects with their security camera and shared the video on social media.

"You could see them just walking up to the car real slow, looking around and go right up to the car," said Ryan. "As soon as they saw it was open, two of them got right in and there was a third person that came up. The third person walked around to my truck to see if that was open."

They say the trio of suspects appeared to be in their late teens or early 20's. 

"When you watch on the video, they're real careful opening the doors and closing them and not slamming it," said Ryan.

"They've done this before," said Jane. "We're both teachers and we're into giving people second chances and third chances, but to do this over and over again and to look like you're very experienced at it, you probably need to learn a lesson pretty quickly."

Domonick Jefferson lives down the street from the Kingslands.

"I went outside and my door was cracked. I looked and I was like, 'Did I close my door all the way?' Usually when I close my door it locks, so it was weird that it was open," said Jefferson. "That was the first time I left my wallet in my car."

Jefferson, 17, said he recently cashed two checks from work, and he planned to buy clothes to wear when he returned to school.

"It was like $450, $425, something like that," he said. "Time to start clicking my keys to make sure my car's locked."

The Lexington County Sheriffs Department tells us they are investigating the thefts.

In Columbia from December 2018 to January 2019, 104 car break-ins were reported. 99 of those vehicles were left unlocked.

Credit: Columbia Police Department

"Develop some type of routine where that's the one thing you always make sure is locked. Just like you make sure your front door is locked, you gotta make sure your car door is locked as well," said Officer Terrell McCombs, Community Response Officer for the Metro Region of the Columbia Police Department.

Police say to avoid becoming a victim of this popular crime is simple. First, lock your car with the windows up.

"It takes three seconds, literally three seconds to press the remote on your car key and lock your car," said McCombs.

Next, take your valuables inside.

"It's a crime of opportunity because most of the time they see something that sparks their interest on the inside of your car," said McCombs. "It could be change in the cup holder, it could be a piece of paper that looks like a check."

It's a good idea to get motion censor lights for your yard, and always be sure to park in a well-lit area.

"[Criminals] hate light, loud sounds and blue lights all the time," said McCombs. "If they see any of those things, you're heading in the right direction because you're keeping them away from your house."

Cayce Police attempted to stop a car Tuesday night that they say appears to be related to recent car thefts. 

Investigators say a number of people got out of the vehicle and ran in different directions. A 12-year-old suspect was taken into custody.

Officers believe the suspects were recently in the Edenwood, Broad Acres and Frink Streets areas.

They're now asking residents who live there to check their cars for any signs of theft.

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