Video: Driver trails burglars breaking into cars near Fisherman's Wharf
SAN FRANCISCO - The Bay Area is no stranger to auto burglaries and smash-and-grab style thefts, commonly referred to as "bipping" by locals.
A witness captured a brazen auto burglary spree that stretched over several blocks near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco on Wednesday.
Videos of the crime spree were sent to KTVU by the viewer who followed the apparent thieves. However, it's important to note that law enforcement officers do not encourage such actions.
The footage shows a white Lexus sedan without a license plate, pulling up beside parked cars and then stopping to allow a passenger to exit. The passenger, wearing a ski mask and gloves, is seen looking into car windows, subsequently shattering the glass and bolting with bags. The perpetrator gets back inside the vehicle and those actions are repeated several more times.
"I started following them, and they just didn’t care, obviously, that they were being followed or not, and it kept happening," said the witness.
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Preferring to remain anonymous, the witness trailed the suspect vehicle over multiple blocks, as the passenger continued to break car windows and snatch bags.
During one incident, a vehicle that was being burglarized had someone seated in the back. The person screamed when the suspect shattered the rear window and seized a bag from inside.
The San Francisco Police Department has not responded to KTVU's inquiries about the auto burglaries.
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