Tire thieves target police cruisers, wheel shop
JACKSON, Miss.(WJTV) — Tire thieves are hard at work targeting Jackson Police Department cruisers and businesses across the Mississippi capital city.
In March, tires were stolen off a cruiser at the police academy. Last week, three more police cruisers were hit.
Not only have tire thieves been brave enough to strip police cars, but now they’re targeting businesses including Unique Tires and Wheels. Jackson police posted a picture on Twitter of a man wanted in connection to stealing nearly 20 tires from the shop.
WANTED: #JPD needs help identifying this male, wanted for felony theft of several vehicle tires, taken from Unique Wheels and Tires on Northview Dr. Anyone with info, call Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS(8477). A cash reward, up to $2500 is possible. #JPDWanted #CashForClues pic.twitter.com/6IojTRc15E— Jackson Police Department (@JacksonMSPolice) April 8, 2019
According to surveillance footage from the shop, the man wasn’t alone. He was just a decoy.
Seen in the video, the man would drive near the tires facing the street, block the tires with his sport-utility vehicle, and then walk up to employees to act like he needed a tire patched. However, during this time, a second man is throwing tires in the truck.
But, the thieves didn’t stop there. They came back again and stole tires from the back of the business while employees were working.
An employee with the shop said the theft hurt their business even more, especially since they’re already struggling.
“Stuff like this, it hurts. It hurts really bad. Really bad because 20 tires ..,” Taha Alawdi said.
Anyone with information on these two incidents was asked to contact the Jackson Police Department or Metro Crime Stoppers at 601-355-8477.