Police use 'bait car' to arrest 2 men for breaking into vehicles

Chevy Chase Village only has a population of about 3,000 people. But that is not stopping the police department from going all out to stop car thefts and break-ins.

Police set up a "bait car" and they say some people took the bait.

For anyone who has lived in the area for a while, you probably know Chevy Chase Village police are known for cracking down on speeders, especially on Connecticut Avenue. But we have learned the police department is also going after anyone who is thinking about breaking into your car or ripping it off.

They set up a bait car on Primrose Street and set up hidden cameras and a microphone inside of the vehicle. The video starts recording as soon as anyone tampers with the car.

The video is streamed live to the Chevy Chase Village Police Department and they say two men were caught in the act at around 3:15 a.m. Friday.

When police responded, they found the two suspects hiding nearby in a yard on Brookville Road.

Police arrested 32-year-old Harrison Anderson of Lanham, Md., and 35-year-old Eric Baten of Washington D.C.

Baten was the man caught on camera in the bait car video.

"We say where is it happening and when is it happening and we try to put that car out there in a place that would be more likely to be tampered with," said Chevy Chase Village Police Chief John Fitzgerald. "Now, it's a force multiplier. We can't be everywhere and we don't necessarily know where or when it's going to happen. We might have a few weeks where nothing happens."

It turns out police found four other cars near the bait car that had also been entered. Coins and loose items were ripped off from the cars and police say those items where found on the suspects.

Police say that bait car could be a car or a truck -- they are keeping it a secret -- and it is provided by Geico Insurance through a grant.