Two suspects were caught on video walking through the Ashbrook Village apartment complex in Gastonia around 3 a.m. on September 15, checking parked cars for unlocked doors, and police say the pair made off with at least one handgun. Now Gastonia police are asking the public for help identifying them before anyone else gets hurt or robbed.
According to Queen City News, the incident happened at the complex on Pineview Lane, where surveillance footage shows the two suspects moving from vehicle to vehicle testing door handles. Police say the pair allegedly took a handgun from one of the cars they got into. In the video, one of the suspects, wearing blue pants, appears to be holding what looks like a rifle as the two make their way through the property.
What Police Want From the Public
Gastonia police are treating the September 15 incident as part of a broader effort to identify two suspects tied to a string of car break-ins in the city, per the station's report. Anyone who recognizes the pair from the video can send a direct message to Gastonia police, or call CrimeStoppers of Gaston at 704-861-8000. CrimeStoppers accepts anonymous tips and offers a reward if the suspects are caught, the outlet notes.
Police are also renewing their standard advice for residents worried about becoming the next target: lock your car doors, call police right away if you notice suspicious activity, and never try to confront a suspect yourself. That guidance came directly from Gastonia police, as reported by the same outlet.
Part of a Wider Pattern in Gastonia
The Ashbrook Village case follows other recent vehicle break-in reports across Gastonia, though it has not been established that they involve the same suspects. In one instance, qcnews.com reported that police asked for help identifying a man accused of breaking into cars on Walls and Anderson Street.
In a separate case near a Gastonia housing development, police said two K-9s were credited with tracking down a pair of suspects accused of breaking into vehicles, according to a report from qcnews.com. That incident involved several break-ins tied to people in ski masks traveling in a black vehicle, and it ended with one suspect trying to flee into the woods. Police said K-9 Taco tracked down a juvenile suspect while K-9 Bo caught up with the other, and both were arrested, though charges had not been released at the time of that report.
For now, the Ashbrook Village suspects remain unidentified, and no charges or arrest information have been released in that case. Gastonia police are continuing to ask residents to stay alert, lock up their vehicles, and let officers handle any suspicious activity they spot rather than approaching anyone themselves.
