autoevolution
 

Thieves Leave Texas Chevrolet Dealership with over $200,000 Worth of Wheels

A Chevrolet dealership car park welcomed its employees with a very bizarre sight on Monday morning. 48 of the brand-new vehicles parked in its courtyard were left stranded on tiny wooden blocks as their wheels had been removed overnight.
Peltier Chevrolet dealership heist 1 photo
Photo: Detective Gary King, East Texas Auto Theft Task Force
The weird theft happened Sunday night when a group of individuals showed up at around 1:22 AM and broke in. They cut the locks on the gates to gain access inside, after which they also killed the lighting system so they could work in peace. The surveillance footage only showed a large box truck arriving on the scene, but the number of the suspects, as well as any clues toward their identities, could not be established.

What's perfectly clear is that the burglary was very well organized, and the fact that this isn't the first time something like this has happened at a dealership in Tyler might suggest it's the work of the same gang. Last year, another car seller had to go through a similar ordeal, and since other dealerships throughout Texas have also been hit.

However, Don Martin, the Tyler Police Department Public information Officer, is quoted by Automotive News as saying it was all "kind of sporadic," which suggests the police doesn't have any leads at the moment.

The Peltier Chevrolet dealership, on the other hand, is still evaluating the damage caused. Naturally, all vehicles were insured so after the internal inspection is completed, they will begin replacing the wheels and tires. David Bates, the general manager of Peltier Chevrolet noted that most of the stolen wheels were 20- or 22-inches, which would explain the high total value, but some of the vehicles have also been damaged during the heist.

As difficult as removing 48 sets of large wheels in near complete darkness might sound, the hardest part is yet to come for the thieves: putting $250,00 worth of Chevrolet wheels on the market without raising suspicion. For their sake, we really hope their plan didn't end when they drove that box truck out the dealership's gates.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Vlad Mitrache
Vlad Mitrache profile photo

"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories