Atlanta Cars Under Siege from Thieves

Atlanta police’s ongoing battle against thieves breaking into and stealing parts off of cars has shifted to the northwestern quadrant of the city over the past week.

Two rental cars parked at their gated home base on Howell Mill Road had their tires removed, and burglars smashed their way into 20 cars in a Northside Drive parking garage. WSB-TV reports that a Fulton County Assistant District Attorney had has car broken into last week, as well.

At this time last year, 6,256 larceny from auto cases were reported to Atlanta police, department crime statistics show. So far this year, thieves have broken into 6,528 cars in areas patrolled by Atlanta police, a four percent increase. In 2015, 3,162 cars have been reported stolen in Atlanta, up 14 percent from the numbers at this time last year. 680 entering auto attempts have been reported, up 15 percent from 2014. Police have recovered 2,703 stolen cars, up 10 percent from this time last year.

The data shows that auto thefts are up 22 percent in Buckhead’s Zone 2, while auto thefts in Midtown’s Zone 5 are at the exact same level they were at this time last year. Police have only recovered 146 stolen vehicles from Buckhead, compared to 142 stolen vehicle recoveries at this time last year.