DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit police are investigating and increasing patrols after a series of smash-and-grabs where at least eight vehicles were broken into Saturday night near Temple Street and 3rd Avenue.
Shanel, who also goes by Nellie Nel 313 on social media, can’t believe just how many cars were broken into. She was excited to attend the Kash Doll concert at Masonic Temple on Saturday and arrived just a few minutes before the show began. Because of that, her parking options were slim.
“First, we headed toward Masonic Temple, but the lot directly across the street was full," she said.
Instead, the concertgoer parked at the lot on Temple and 3rd that was manned by someone who told her they would stick around. However, when she got back to her car after the concert around 11 p.m., they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, she saw a sea of broken glass.
“They hit the side of the cars and the trucks that isn’t visible to the street. So I kind of figured as soon as I walked around my truck, I knew that my window was gonna be busted out... I saw at least 10 cars complaining that their windows were busted out," Nellie Nel said.
Nellie Nel didn't have too many items stolen, but glass covered her child's car seat.
"They didn’t take much. They took $3 and a half of an eaten chicken shawarma," she said. “The lady next to me, she had a laptop. Her work bag was stolen. The young lady next to me, her purse was taken. There were coats taken.”
We reached out to Masonic Temple. They say they have security in their privately owned lots and have not had issues there, but the surrounding privately owned lots are a different story.
“The thieves around here probably know that there are gonna be some valuable items in these vehicles particularly with some of these concerts and these lots are targeted. Something has to be done," Nellie Nel said.
Detroit police say they are investigating and have some leads. They're also increasing patrols and surveillance in the area. To not become a victim of these smash-and-grabs, police provide the following tips:
- Do not leave anything valuable in your car
- Lock your car
- Check with a parking attendant how long they are staying, so your car is never left unattended
- Consider parking in a structure rather than a lot
Meanwhile Nellie Nel says she is not deterred from attending concerts but says she learned her lesson about parking in non-official lots.
“I would recommend to arrive early. Sometimes the lots, they get full pretty quick, so it kind of forces you to park elsewhere, and you don’t want to park elsewhere," she said. “They took my window but they did not take my joy. I got a new window the next morning and a chicken shawarma too.”
