SAN ANTONIO – Several businesses at a strip mall in the 5100 block of Latigo Street arrived to find their air conditioning units had been targeted by thieves overnight Saturday.
Thieves cut copper and siphoned Freon from seven units, costing businesses about $1,000 to get them back up and running.
"To repair and fix the units, we have to replace the copper and then put the refrigerant back in each individual unit," said Cool Guy Mechanical owner James Wall.
According to Wall, thieves stole nine pounds of Freon from each unit. Each pound of Freon costs $100.
Wall believes the people responsible may have been in the air conditioning business and looking to make a profit.
"The refrigerant as high as it is, is a high commodity. They can pull it back into the systems, into a canister, which is a recovery tank, and then they use that on every individual house they need to go add pounds to, cutting their cost and increasing their profits," said Wall.
Wall says anyone looking to secure their units can do so with one quick fix.
"Just locking caps, each unit can take a locking cap that fits on each side of the unit and the Freon can't be taken out with the actual proper tool. If it is taken, then you know for sure it's a refrigeration company coming out and doing it," said Wall.