By KATIE V. JONES
Cierra Major was awoken by her father at 4 a.m. the morning of May 4 to learn that her car had just been broken into outside of their home on Rosemore Lane
“They heard some noise, got spooked and took off,” Major said, of the vandals. “They got a fair amount of cars.”
Thieves smashed windows to break into a total of 47 vehicles during the early morning hours of May 4 in the city of Laurel and surrounding areas including both Howard and Anne Arundel counties.
“It’s been happening in this region a lot but not this high of numbers,” Laura Guenin, spokesperson for the city of Laurel Police Department said.
Footage caught on doorbell cameras showed at least two people on foot and one, possibly two, getaway drivers, she said. “It appears they are completely masked up,” Guenin said, adding that it was unknown if the same group was responsible for all the damage.“It seems like a lot for one night,” she added.
Robbery does not appear to necessarily be a motive, as some owners reported items missing from their vehicles while others reported nothing missing despite having valuables, including cash, in plain sight, Guenin said. All types of vehicles were targeted.
She believes more vehicles will be vandalized in the area again. “Unfortunately, a lot of these cars were locked and parked on the street,” she noted.
Nonetheless, Guenin advises owners to take precautions: park in well-lit areas and lock their cars. She also recommends removing all valuables or storing them in the trunk.
Owen McPherrson, a resident of Fingles Court, in Laurel, came home to see glass in the streets leading to his cul de sac.
“I’ve been here 15 or 17 years and I’ve seen nothing like this happen before,” McPhersson said. “A couple cars may have been stolen, but nothing like this. This was a lot different,”
McPherrson was away on a car trip, so his own vehicle wasn’t targeted, but he plans to keep his car doors locked, the lights outside his home on and his ears open.
“Somebody is going to get hurt doing this,” he said. “People don’t like you messing with their cars.”
Guenin stressed the importance of reporting suspicious activity.
“If you see something, say something. Call us,” Guenin said. “Don’t hesitate. The best thing to happen is to catch these guys in the act.”
A QR code is posted on the Laurel Police Department’s Facebook page for people to share footage of the suspects with the department. Anyone seeing suspicious activity should call 301.498.0092.
