The McKinney Police Department is warning the public about a pair of apparent serial robbers. One thief distracts a vehicle owner while his partner steals goods from the car, reported WFAA.
Police shared a photo of a woman who was approached by a suspect in a Costco parking lot. He told the woman that something was on the back of her car. The woman went to see what the man was talking about and bent down to look while the second suspect entered her SUV and made off with her wallet. The incident happened at 12:20 p.m. on November 11, McKinney police said.
In another incident at the same Costco just days earlier, an elderly man was similarly distracted by a man and woman working together. While the pair distracted him by asking for directions, another person went inside his vehicle and stole his credit cards.
Police believe the crimes are connected.
Cery Barnes, who went to the McKinney Costco to do some shopping, told FOX news, “I’ve got that mindset that I need to be careful in Dallas, but I live out here in Lucas.”
Barnes said that it could have just as easily happened to her.
“I left my door open, actually two doors, and then I was busy coming back here to unload. In McKinney, I thought there would be no concern,” she said.
And this is just the sort of opportunity that thieves look for.
“You might not be watching them, but they are watching you,” McKinney Police Officer Shannon Seabrook said.
McKinney Police released this warning amid the approaching Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. They advised citizens to use a system of lock, take, hide:
- If you leave a vehicle, make sure it is locked.
- If you can, take everything out of your vehicle.
- If you must leave items inside your vehicle, make sure you hide them or put them in the trunk.
Police also said that people should make certain to have their wallets on them when loading valuables into their cars and not leave personal items in their vehicles.
Meanwhile, a series of purse snatchings in Frisco could be connected to the robberies in McKinney, police say. Frisco Police said two of the three incidents are possibly related as they happened within six minutes of each other.
The investigation into the thefts in the Costco parking lot is ongoing.
