While Californians continue to have their rims and tires stolen off of their vehicles and sold online, KCRA 3 Investigates found it is a crime that is hard to crack even if the entire thing is caught on video.

Taiyub Afzal of Stockton reached out to KCRA 3 Investigates to help raise awareness about the issue after his rims and tires were stolen.

In a home surveillance video provided by Afzal, we watched as the team of thieves struck in the middle of the night and used an iron wrench to remove all four tires, before leaving a Honda Civic on cinder blocks.

Afzal filed a police report immediately after the incident.

"I wasn't too surprised," he said. "I saw this thing going around, which is not a good thing to hear that, you know, I'm not surprised."

Andres Morado, an officer with the Stockton Police Department, said these sorts of property thefts have "been going on for a little bit here."

According to Stockton police, there were 134 vehicle tire thefts in 2022, and there have been 22 vehicle tire thefts so far in 2023.

"I think a week or two ago another house on Angelina [Lane] got robbed as well — a Toyota Camry, then another house toward — I don't know that exact street, but literally a couple blocks down, also got robbed as well," Afzal said. "When we asked the lady on Angelina [Lane], she said another family also got robbed next to them. That's four houses just in this area."

Afzal's rims and tires aren't customs. They are standard manufactured parts but still worth thousands.

"They were quoted from Stockton Honda at $9,000 [and] $6,000 was just for the rims, which is a lot of money," Afzal said.

He also said he found his tires and rims being sold for cheap online.

Andres confirmed that Afzal's case is under investigation.

KCRA 3 Investigates also found other listings for tires and rims being sold on Facebook at cheap rates.

"It's happening regionally and you can find it all over the internet," Morado explained.

The public information officer for Stockton police said investigating these property crimes can be complicated.

"The hard part is identifying the actual suspect, and then behind that, identifying the actual item."

Tires and rims don't have any identifying markers or serial numbers indicating they belong to you, which makes an investigation difficult, especially if they are being resold.

"There's a hopeless feeling like, OK, if I get robbed, I can't do anything which is not a nice feeling to have," Afzal said.

The crime is not just happening in Stockton. KCRA 3 Investigates has confirmed it is happening across the state.

Stockton police are hoping to work with other agencies to crack down on the crime.

"I think it's going to take a team effort to try to get to get a hold of this," Morado said.

To help protect your vehicle from potential thieves, Stockton police advise people to do the following:

• Park under a bright light
• Use a garage or secured parking if possible
• Get wheel locks to create an extra layer of protection
• Install home surveillance

Morado admits the tips above are not 100% going to prevent your property from being stolen. But taking these extra precautions can help slow a potential thief down.

KCRA 3 Investigates put in a public records request with various police departments in our region to see how many of these crimes are happening. When we receive the information, we will be sure to pass it along.