Burglars nab $40k worth of loot in two minutes
BELLAIRE, TX (KTRK) -- A Bellaire man believes a quick and crafty band of burglars found his address by running his license plate while he and his family were out and about.
Surveillance video caught the elaborate burglary last Sunday. A white SUV pulled up in front of the house. A woman wearing shorts, a long-sleeved shirt and a veil got out. She rung their doorbell and looked through the front windows for about three minutes.
"She was holding what looked like a booklet to, I guess pretend she was selling something if any of my neighbors would see her," he says.
As she left, a black minivan pulled up. Three men got out and hustled to the back yard. They broke in through the back door.
The homeowner, who asked not to be identified, walked us through the surveillance video.
"They're crouching down as they come across the threshold here in front of the island. I think they saw the motion sensor here in the living room. So I think they were trying to get below that level. But as soon as they crossed the threshold here into the foyer, our motion sensor at the front door coming this way caught them."
VIDEO: Shirtless burglar walks out in stolen clothes
Two minutes later, they ran out with more than $40,000 worth of designer handbags and jewelry. They casually strolled back through the front yard back to the waiting minivan and drove off.
"My wife is much more upset about it than me. I'm just glad we weren't home."
The homeowner believes this was part of a bigger crime ring that's reportedly hit the Chinatown and southwest Houston communities recently.
VIDEO: Man shoots window out as child stands nearby
"The suspects will look for families who are out having lunch or shopping in the Chinatown area, probably driving nicer cars, or wearing nicer clothes, maybe nice handbags or jewelry and would somehow find out their addresses through the car's license plate."
A spokesperson for HPD says they've seen cases before of victims being targeted that way. This man refuses to be a victim again. He's installing a doorbell equipped with a security camera. He hopes somebody recognizes the guys and girl in the video and helps police catch them before they strike again, or become violent.
