Thieves Stealing Car Seats—Again

Officers from the are investigating at least four thefts of third-row seats from sport utility vehicles that occurred between Aug. 6 and Tuesday.

The third-row seats for GMC Yukons, Chevrolet Tahoes and Cadillac Escalades are worth less than $1,500 on the black market; however, they cost more than $3,000 to replace because the manufacturer only produces a single set of seats per vehicle.

The first report came from the owner of a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe parked in the 2600 block of Fisk Lane discovered that the SUV's third-row seat had been stolen after noticing that the driver's-side door handle had been removed at some point between late Aug. 7 and early Aug. 8. Nothing else was reported stolen.

A set of third-row seats was stolen from another 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe on the evening of Aug. 8 when the SUV was apparently parked in the lot at the South Bay Marketplace on Hawthorne Boulevard. The thief punched the driver's-side door lock and stole the seats and an iPad.

A 2007 GMC Yukon parked in the 2700 block of Spreckles Lane fell victim to the same crime. The driver's-side door was pried open and the third-row seats disappeared at some point between the evenings of Aug. 6 and Aug. 9. No other loss was reported.

Police aren't sure how a thief entered a 2007 GMC Yukon parked in the 500 block of North Maria and stole the third-row seats at some point Tuesday morning. No other loss was reported.

To prevent the thefts, police recommend SUV owners use cable locks to secure the third-row seats to the vehicle. Additionally, SUV owners should have their third-row seats engraved with the vehicle identification number to make them easier to claim if they're stolen and recovered by police.