Police Investigate Rash of Break-Ins

Chapel Hill police are looking into the possibility that a rash of recent vehicle break-ins are related.

Police arrested two men after a victim saw them fleeing his vehicle in the Culbreth Middle School parking lot.

When the victim noticed his car was broken into and his car speakers stolen, he followed the suspects until their green Toyota pickup truck was pulled over for erratic driving by a DMV officer at Fire Station 5 on Bennett Road.

The victim told the officer about the break-in, and the suspects were arrested on the scene and each charged with one count of felony breaking and entering, one count felony larceny and one count misdemeanor possession of stolen goods, reports state.

The arrested men are Luis A. Carreon-Rodriquez, 30, of 408 Mitchell Lane, Apt. A, and Jorge Buscado, 29, no address given.

Police officials are investigating whether those two suspects could be linked to nine other vehicle break-ins and larcenies in Chapel Hill overnight Monday.

A majority of the incidents occurred in the parking lots of two area apartment complexes.

Of the 10 break-ins, four were committed in the Sharon Heights complex off Airport Road and three more at Kingswood Apartments off Highway 54 Bypass.

In most of the cases, car windows were smashed and CDs were the target of the thieves, reports state.

But cell phones, car speakers and golf clubs also were taken from some of the vehicles.

Police warned residents to secure their cars and to make sure they hid valuable items from sight.

They also suggested citizens mark their CDs so that they can be identified when police check used CD stores in the area during their investigations.

Police actively are trying to thwart any more vehicle break-ins by increasing patrols in apartment complex parking lots.

They are employing undercover operations, such as preparing "set-up cars" that bait thieves into stealing from police-watched cars.

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.