HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. — Investigators with two different police agencies are looking into a string of smash-and-grabs in Hamilton County over the weekend.
On Friday evening, Carmel police were called to the Carmel Dads’ Club complex after several cars had items stolen out of them.
A vehicle dashcam captured a man in a yellow shirt walking up to a pickup truck, taking a peek inside and then using a tool to smash the window. In mere seconds, he reached in and made off with a backpack that was sitting in the passenger seat and had a laptop inside.
A few minutes later, he returned and targeted a black SUV. Even quicker than before, he busted out the passenger side window and made off with a woman’s purse.
“I walked up and my whole window was all clumped together in big pieces,” said Dacia Clark.
The purse belonged to Clark, who said she was inside the complex watching one of her kids’ games.
To make matters worse, her boyfriend’s car was parked right next to her and left unlocked. The dash camera caught another man rifling through it before walking off with a laptop.
“I was really upset,” Clark said. “I was real emotional. I just couldn’t believe it happened.”
Not only did the thief have her purse, but everything inside which included her driver’s license and credit cards.
“While I was standing with the officer that was doing the report I got an alert on my phone that they tried to use my card at a gas station,” Clark explained.
Clark went to the gas station and discovered that the thief had purchased Visa gift cards totaling more than $500.
A similar situation happened again on Sunday afternoon at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers. Police there said at least two cars had windows smashed and items stolen.
“It is so fast that nobody really realizes what is going on,” Gerry Hepp with Fishers Police said.
It is unknown if the incidents in Carmel are connected to those in Fishers.
Hepp said as warmer weather approaches, these types of incidents increase. He said it doesn’t matter if a car is locked or not.
“It’s simply you can’t leave anything within view in your vehicle,” Hepp said.
Back in Carmel, Clark was able to get the charge on her bank card reversed and get her window repaired.
She said the experience has made her much more cautious and she hopes the thieves will be caught.
“It just makes you like sick to your stomach like how someone can do that,” Clark said.
Police in Carmel and Fishers said the cases remain unsolved.
Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to give investigators a call.
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