Macomb County has been hit with a rash of car thefts specifically targeting Kia vehicles, leading to the arrest of two teenagers, with a third suspect still at large. According to ClickOnDetroit, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office investigated six incidents involving Kias at Westbridge Manor in Macomb Township and Aspen Creek Apartments in Chesterfield Township, four of which were thefts and two attempted thefts.
The Sheriff's Office employed their Macomb Auto Theft Squad (M.A.T.S.) and Sheriff’s Enforcement Team (S.E.T.) to track down the vehicles and suspects, announcing on per the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, that following surveillance, they observed a stolen Kia stopping at a residence in Clinton Township on Monday after it was reported stolen a day prior; detectives then apprehended two juveniles at the scene while a third evaded capture, the pursuit of a vehicle that spanned across multiple cities comes to a piecemeal halt resembling a game of cat-and-mouse that favors the quick and the cunning.
Upon arrest, the teens were charged with unlawfully driving away an automobile, a felony offense that could result in up to five years imprisonment for each offender. However, these young culprits faced seemingly lenient consequences as a judicial officer chose not to detain them at the Juvenile Justice Center. Rather, they were released to their parents.
In confronting this surge of thefts, Commander Jason Abro from the Sheriff’s Office described the ease with which the vehicles are being compromised, telling ClickOnDetroit, "It’s very easy to break into a Kia," and "They break into the ignition column, and at some point, they use a device to start the vehicle," responding to the circumstances, the Sheriff’s Office recommends owners purchase steering wheel locks that, while not foolproof, serve to thwart the quick-heist strategies, given it takes significant time to remove such devices, a time burden which would-be thieves avoid.
