[In the player above, watch previous FOX 8 I-Team coverage of police officers being shot, threatened and taunted by suspects in stolen Kias.]
WILLOUGHBY HILLS, Ohio (WJW) — A group of people suspected of trying to steal cars from an apartment complex on the city’s west end were able to elude police after a brief chase.
Police officers found the group of suspects breaking into the vehicles early Sunday, June 4. Several vehicles were found with windows broken in.
Officers tried to block them in, “but they were able to maneuver around the patrol car,” reads a Sunday news release from Capt. Greg Leonbruno.
Officers briefly pursued the suspects into Euclid but stopped “once the speed, location and driving of the suspect vehicle posed too much risk” to others on the road.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Willoughby Hills Police Department at 440-942-9111.
One of the vehicles the suspected thieves didn’t touch had a steering wheel lock, police noted.
The police department continues to offer the devices for free to owners of Kia or Hyundai cars, which are particularly susceptible to theft. Owners can bring proof of residency and vehicle registration to the police department, 35405 Chardon Road.