Tires stolen from parked vehicles at Bowie commuter lot

Bowie police are looking for criminals who are yanking tires off cars at a park and ride parking lot and leaving vehicles sitting on cinder blocks.

After a long day at work, some commuters who use this parking lot are not getting the happy hour after work they expected.

"I got off the bus and just kept looking and I was like, ‘That's not my car. That can't be my car,'" said one victim we spoke with.

He is facing $7,000 in damages after being the latest victim in a string of auto crimes that has been popping up in this Prince George's County-owned lot near Bowie Town Center. It is a commuter lot used to drop off Metro and carpool riders.

"I saw a cop behind and he said he was waiting on me," said the victim. "I was like, ‘What do you mean you're waiting on me?' He was taking a report on another car a few spots down that had their tires taken too."

FOX 5 has learned almost a dozen vehicle-related crimes have happened in this small space in the past few months. These crimes include vandalism, theft from inside vehicles and tire thefts. These criminals are doing it so fast that it sometimes take them less than a minute.

There are county cameras that watch the lot, but it is not certain what they actually capture. Bowie police are now going through footage looking for clues.

Police are also stepping up patrols and alerting commuters to watch out before they leave their vehicle.

Police also suggest getting wheel locks as a way to hang onto your tires.

As for where this stuff is going, cops say they are likely being sold at a chop shop.