How Did Bandits Make Off With $2.7 Million Worth Of Dodges?
Over the weekend, the citizens of the coastal city of San Leandro, California might have seen some rogue Dodges take to the streets, causing havoc. Burnouts and accidents ensued as bandits reportedly stole a suspected $2.7 million worth of Dodge sports cars and took to the streets. The theft of as many as 70 cars was not the only cases of looters reported over the weekend as a response to recent events, but it might be the most interesting. And in case you were wondering, yes, they at least had the sense to steal the Hellcats.
From bad to worse
Of the cars that remained on the lot, many of the windows, windshields, and bodies were smashed and damaged where they were parked, enough damage to completely total most of the vehicles.
Several brand new Challenger Hellcats were stolen, and what’a good crime without some social media posts. Police were able to track down several vehicles and the videos had gone viral on social media platforms like Instagram, where the thieves were sharing videos of burnouts and general havoc.
Police say they were unable to respond to reports for several hours due to riots and looters burning down building and robbing other stores in town, chaos a severe amount of damage to the city.
WARNING: The following video image may be disturbing to some. Strong language and offensive language is presented.
Located near the freeway and with police officers unavailable due to the rioting and threats that consumed San Leandro, the thieves were easily able to take the cars from the lot, including some new Dodge Hellcats, valued around $100,000 one of which you can see in the video above.
In the video, you can see dozens of looters taking place in the theft and destruction of these cars, more than likely a somewhat coordinated event, and only a small fraction of the terror that the city of San Leandro faced that night.
In a blaze of…well, not glory…
Along with the theft of dozens of cars, the fire department responded due to a fire being set inside the dealership. The windows of the dealership were smashed and later boarded back up by employees.
Along with new procedures to ensure their dealership remains untouched, the owners have decided to hire armed, overnight guards to keep an eye on things. The owner, Carlos Hidalgo, did tell the press that the cars are insured for theft, as only 20 of the stolen vehicles have been recovered so far, many with severe damage.
Cars left in the way on the dealership lot were smashed, and one car inside the showroom was driven out through a full-length window at the front of the building.
Mr. Hidalgo said the dealership is devastated by the loss, and dozens of employees returning to work after weeks of closures due to the quarantine are left to pick up the pieces.
The Dodge dealership in San Leandro, California is not the only dealership to experience the destruction and chaos of the riots, and it will most likely not be the last. Dealership are insured for emergencies such as this but there is no telling how long it will take to recover from such major loss and devastation.