Plano police have apprehended five suspects linked to the theft of 29 Chevrolet vehicles, primarily Camaros and Corvettes, across more than a dozen North Texas cities between March and April.
The stolen cars, valued at $1.1 million, were taken from apartment and gym parking lots, authorities said on Tuesday.
The suspects, identified as Deandre Smith, 23; Xavion Jones, 21; Roxana Ramirez, 26; Anyia Stanfield, 22; and Timothy Beechum, 25, allegedly targeted Chevy vehicles, a shift from a previous group busted in July for stealing high-end luxury cars like a Rolls-Royce. Jail records indicate Ramirez and Beechum are no longer in custody at Collin County Jail, though specific charges and arrest details remain undisclosed.
“Essentially, they’re doing their intel work. They want to know where that vehicle is and where it’s going to be parked later at night to better ensure the fact that they can come back and it’s going to be located there and they’re not wasting their time,” said Detective Stephen Howell, per WFAA.
He noted the group used stolen cars to create social media content, including videos of joyriding and doing donuts in the street, before selling them for about $5,000 each, netting roughly $150,000 in two months.
“They made about $150,000 in two months,” Howell said, WFAA reported. “We continued our investigation to figure out that they were renting storage units to store the stolen vehicles in.”
Surveillance footage captured police closing in on two suspects at storage units, where several stolen vehicles were recovered, though it’s unclear if all 29 have been located. The investigation remains ongoing, with police suspecting additional individuals may be involved.
“They’re going after that because of the ability that the key programmer has, the ability to take those easier at an easier rate,” Howell told NBC 5 DFW, explaining the focus on Chevrolets.
While car thefts in Plano have decreased overall, police urge Chevrolet owners to update their vehicle software to prevent future thefts.