Kyle PD Chief suspects ‘expert’ car thieves targeting I-35
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Interstate-35 is the lifeblood of Central Texas, but it can also be a thoroughfare for the criminal community.
Drug and human traffickers love places like Seton Hospital in Kyle and South Park Meadows because people leave their cars for hours at a time.
"Cars are stolen at venues all along I-35,” Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett said. “Typically, the highly visited areas. We have one major intersection where we've had seven stolen vehicles all in a short amount of time. We think that's the work of professionals."
Sixteen cars total have been stolen along I-35 in Kyle alone this year.
"They probably try and target those cars that appear to be abandoned for the day or left for the day so they can steal it and get many miles away," Barnett said.
Mark Hanna and the Insurance Council of Texas preach locking your car, taking out your keys and hiding your valuables. Hanna says if all drivers took those steps, it could curb crime 20 percent.
"It'll prevent your car from being stolen. It will prevent your car from being burglarized,” Hanna said. “They're going to be looking inside your car. Don't entice them. Don't say, ‘Hey, look inside this car because look what I have waiting for you.’"
Trucks are the most popular vehicle stolen in Central Texas. Police say the stolen cars are often used for round trips to the border.