CINCINNATI — Brazen thieves stole a senior citizen's car in front of witnesses in Roselawn Monday. Days later, neighbors worry about a pattern of thefts targeting their community.
"(The thieves) are wrong and they know they're wrong," one resident afraid to give his name told WCPO 9 News.
Thieves stole the Kia Optima and a purse left inside the vehicle.
"How could you do that, honey," resident La-Verne Dukes said. "You could just so easily get you a job."
Dukes is fed up watching neighbors suffer. Over the last three weeks, Cincinnati police responded to six car thefts around Hillcrest Elderly Apartments. Thieves target Kia and Hyundai model vehicles. Some of the victims are on a fixed income and unable to afford the insurance deductibles required to secure replacements. It leaves them unable to get around.
"It's like a nightmare," Dukes said. "We all are looking out the window praying that our car won't be gone."
One witness saw a thief carrying a gun. Some worry about what might happen next.
"Somebody is going to get hurt," another resident too afraid to give his name said. "Here it is, they have mothers and fathers, grandparents. However, they don't care about going around doing wrong to the elderly here."
"It makes you angry because (they) can be that carefree just breaking in somebody's car and taking off in the lot like it's nothing," Dukes added. "They don't have (a) conscious."
CPD officers found one stolen car and want to catch everyone involved. Until then, neighbors said they will look out for each other. Still, they want Cincinnati's mayor and council members to find solutions.
"We worked too hard to get where we (are) now for kids to just come take that from us," said another resident. "I would hate for a kid to get killed out here for taking people's stuff."
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