LIVE OAK – Thieves struck a local car dealership in a way police are calling familiar. Wheels were stolen from 40 vehicles at Cavender Cadillac at 1604 and Lookout Road.
Investigators said this crime may be connected to similar crimes across the state.
"They knew exactly what they wanted, they went for it and they got it," said Lt. Matt Malone, with the Live Oak Police Department.
Employees at the Cavender Cadillac dealership found 40 vehicles sitting on wooden blocks Sunday morning.
"It's a high number. That takes a little while to do that," Malone said.
Malone said the size of the job made them think bigger. They started calling other law enforcement agencies in Texas.
"We're finding out this is not just one isolated incident," Malone said. "This is going on in San Antonio, this is going on east of us, Seguin, Houston. It's going on north of us, so it's quite the criminal enterprise."
He said the same people could be responsible for a similar crime that happened in November, when dozens of wheels were stolen from the Ancira-Winton dealership in Leon Valley.
Police believe the crimes are the work of seasoned criminals because they're using professional tools, like hydraulic car jacks, lug wrenches and even power tools.
"It's been my experience in the past 25, 26 years doing this sort of thing that you do find these groups. They just travel. They'll travel the I-10 corridor; they'll travel the I-35 corridor," Malone said.
The only good news for Cavender Cadillac is that the cars were not damaged during the theft, like they were during the Ancira incident. However, the dealership still has to replace those wheels.
Lt. Malone said he'll compare this weekend's surveillance video with footage from the other crimes. He said it will take cooperation from other agencies to identify these thieves.
Anyone who knows something about this crime, or others like it, are asked to call Live Oak Police at 210-653-9140.