COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dozens of vehicles were broken into Monday evening in northwest Columbus.
The latest report of break-ins comes just two weeks after nearly a dozen cars were broken into outside The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, a car was stolen at the Columbus Zoo and three cars were vandalized in the parking lot of Columbus Downtown High School.
The break-ins on Monday happened outside of a high school and a church on Bethel Road. Dozens of people walked out to find their cars vandalized.
“They are looking for crime of opportunity," said Columbus Police Assistant Chief LaShanna Potts. "We continuously tell people don't leave your purses, your laptops, things in view. If you have a firearm, be responsible as a firearm owner. Don't leave a gun under your seat. These young men and women, that's exactly what they are looking to steal."
About a dozen cars were broken into at Meadow Park Church during a women's bible study.
Just down the road at Centennial High School, Columbus City Schools (CCS) confirms 16 cars were broken into during a baseball game.
CCS was told around the same time that people were being shot at with paintballs.
“We've made some strides in arrests. As you know the juvenile justice system, we do have juveniles that we are talking about. We are looking at ways that the juvenile judges can create leverage where we save these youth from themselves,” Potts said.
After a couple mass break-ins last month, Columbus police says they made some arrests.
There's no word if they have made any arrests from the break-ins on Bethel Road, but Potts said you should do what you can to make your car less attractive to these criminals.
Her advice? Don't leave valuables, especially guns, in your car.
“What we don't want is a youth to get a firearm, make a split-second decision and now their life as we know it is gone,” Potts said.