Officers arrested three suspects for possession of a stolen vehicle and found nine stolen cars in a span of seven hours Sunday night.
Between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., police recovered six vehicles that had been stolen within the city limits, and three from nearby cities (Fife, Federal Way and Kirkland).
All the cars that were stolen in Seattle were found within five miles of where they were reported stolen – the closest was approximately 0.2 miles away. Officers found four vehicles in the South Precinct, two in the North Precinct, one in the East Precinct, and two more – parked bumper to bumper – in the Southwest Precinct. Police arrested three suspects separately for possession of a stolen vehicle.
Of the nine vehicles, the longest period any had been missing was three weeks. One vehicle had been reported stolen just five hours before it was found by police.
Auto theft happens fast. An expert auto thief can break into and steal a car in less than a minute. An unoccupied car, with its engine running, can be taken in seconds.
Click here for more information from SPD on vehicle theft prevention.