HAYWARD, Calif. (KRON) — Four cars — in total worth more than $100,000 — were stolen from a used car shop in Hayward. It was all caught on video.
The break-in happened at City Motors on Mission Boulevard in Hayward early Sunday morning.
KRON4 spoke to the general manager about how this happened. It’s not just the lost inventory, but the damage to their building and the threat of a repeat robbery. Along with four cars, the thieves also took the keys to every other car on the lot.
Auto theft caught on video (above) shows several men breaking into Hayward’s City Motors and stealing four cars driving one through the front of the building to get it out of the showroom.
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“It’s shocking. Violated,” says City Motors manager Emilio Espinosa.
Espinosa says the men came in through the side door just after midnight they then went over to the lock box with all of the car keys and used an axe to break it open then started taking cars.
“It’s for sure planned. It’s professionals it’s been happening all over the Bay (Area).”
They took one car from the showroom and two more from the lot. Witnesses called police and they showed up just before 1 a.m., but then the suspects came back.
“Once the cops left, this place alone they came back and got the second car out of the showroom,” Espinosa said.
Because the men took all of the car keys, it cost the business about $8,000 just to change all the locks. Then, there’s the damage to the building.
“It’s going to be a nice chunk of money, probably $50,000 to $60,000 plus the value of the cars, which is probably over 100,000 what they took,” Espinosa said.
Espinosa is hopeful that the video will help them catch the suspects.
“If anyone knows these guys, just rat them out,” he said. “They shouldn’t be out here doing this stuff but it is what it is, everyone has to live and do what they have to do to survive, but unfortunately, that’s the wrong way to do it.”
City Motors has been the victim of theft before.
Several cars were taken off the lot a few years ago. They never found the suspects, but police did recover the cars. The manager says that gives him hope they may get these vehicles back.