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Rash of break-ins at car dealerships in Puget Sound region have owners on edge

Multiple break-ins have been reported at one Fife dealership alone.

FIFE, Wash. — The manager of a car dealership in Fife is speaking out after multiple break-ins. In one case, suspects made off with several sets of keys, only to return days later.

Surveillance cameras captured the latest attempt by someone to break down the gate of Hinshaw’s Acura dealership.

“There’s this consistent pattern of people using a stolen vehicle as a battering ram to get into a store, stealing keys and then coming back,” said Arianna Bigelow, of Hinshaw's Automotive Group.

Bigelow said her auto group has been hit three times in recent weeks. Video from Jan. 30 at the Auburn location shows someone backing an SUV up to their parts department's glass double doors. From there, the suspects used the vehicle as a battering ram to get inside, where they got away with three sets of keys. The suspect then used one set of keys, seen in another video, to get away with a car in broad daylight.

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“I mean, it’s pretty brazen," said Bigelow. "It’s literally right in the middle of the day."

And Bigelow's shop isn’t alone. 

On Monday, three suspects rammed a car into an auto detailer in Bellevue. One of the suspects made away with a Porsche Cayman. The vehicle the two remaining suspects were driving was found later the same night crashed into the side of an Infinity dealership in Fife, where they are believed to have escaped in a 2021 Ford Bronco.

"Our detectives are currently reviewing the surveillance video now, so we do have a few leads,” said Fife Police Department Assistant Chief Dave Woods.

Meanwhile, Bigelow is stepping up security across her dealerships. Among the changes, they’re parking vehicles sideways in front of locked gates to keep would-be intruders from smashing through.

“This seems like it’s organized at a much different level," said Bigelow. "We are literally waking up every day and wondering who got hit last night."

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