Police: Man stole car, used it to commit car burglaries in same area

Crime spree happened in middle of morning rush

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police are investigating a string of crimes that were committed by what seems to be a bold crook.

They say that man stole a car from a driveway in the Canyon Parke subdivision, then used that stolen vehicle to drive around and break into other vehicles.

The crime spree happened in the middle of the busy morning rush Thursday, as Heather Guckian was preparing to go to leave for work shortly before 7 a.m.

“My son came home from the gym and when he walked inside, he thought that my other son was in the car,” she said. “(He) said that he had seen someone in our car.”

The burglar left all of Heather Guckian's property scattered on her driveway. (KSAT 12 News)

Guckian’s minivan was left a mess, with its contents spilled all over her driveway.

She wasn’t sure right away whether anything of value had been stolen.

In the meantime, her husband went out looking for the crook.

Guckian said he confronted the man as he broke into other vehicles down the street.

She and her teenage son grabbed their cell phones and snapped photos as the burglar sped away.

“He was driving off, just, you know, bulleting down the road,” she said.

Police quickly realized the break-ins weren’t the only crimes committed.

The car used in the burglaries had been stolen from a neighbor’s driveway on a nearby cul de sac,” police said.

“He woke me up and was, like, ‘Babe, my car is gone’ And I was, like, ‘There’s no way,” said Britany Morris, of the moment her boyfriend realized his light blue BMW was gone.

John Kroeger said he was worried that, because of his distinctive car, neighbors might think he was committing the crimes.

“It’s a little perturbing to me because, A, it’s my car, and he stayed in the neighborhood after he stole a car,” Kroeger said.

Police hoped they’d be able to track down the car quickly.

They looked for it from the sky, using their helicopter, but did not find it right away.

Kroeger remained hopeful, both that police would get lucky and that his luck would change.

“We’re in a good city so I have no doubt good stuff’s gonna happen,” he said.


About the Authors:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Tim has been a photojournalist and video editor at KSAT since 1998. He came to San Antonio from Lubbock, where he worked in TV and earned his bachelor's degree in Electronic Media and Communication from Texas Tech University. Tim has won a handful of awards and has earned a master's in Strategic Communication and Innovation from Tech as well.