KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Police Department said it is investigating a series of car burglaries in various North Knoxville neighborhoods.
KPD said it received at least 34 reports of car burglaries over the weekend. A total of 48 cars have been broken into in the Fourth and Gill area since July 8.
Of those burglaries, eleven were reported on Armstrong Avenue, five on Kenyon Street, four on either West or East Glenwood Avenue, three on Haynes Place, three on Gratz Street and two on Folsom Avenue.
KPD believes these car burglaries are connected based on time, location and method of entry. However, investigators have yet to identify a suspect and it hasn't been determined if the same person or group is involved, according to KPD.
Police said the man in the image below is a person of interest.
Police said in almost every case the suspect or suspects forced their way into the vehicles by breaking a window or prying open a door. Neighbors said it was shocking to see so many vehicles aggressively broken into at once.
"When we got up and came out it was a shock really," Ron Hall said.
"Another neighbor came out and said oh mine too and at that point, I came out we found three cars in our parking lot windows smashed, broken into. It was pretty scary," Hall said.
Knoxville police said they took out one after another. Windows smashed. Doors pried open. Thieves hit seven streets in the Historic Fourth and Gill neighborhood in North Knoxville.
"My window is right next to the street and I didn't hear anything. I mean especially with eight different windows on my block broken approximately I thought I would have heard something especially because I'm up at night," Jeremy Booth said. "It didn't seem like a lot of people got anything taken out of their cars they just kind of riffled around and then left."
Shocked neighbors said they heard nothing. No broken glass. No alarms. Not until a little after 4 a.m. Sunday. That is when neighbors say word started to spread and now these neighbors are talking about setting up a network of security cameras.
"We have people who have cameras set up outside if you don't have cameras, you or your neighbors get them set up, man," Hall said.
One neighbor we spoke to said her vehicle window was smashed and her vehicle was rummaged through but the suspects left behind a necklace and laptop.
Police confirm a least one gun was reported stolen and recommend removing all valuable items from your vehicle to reduce the risk of being targeted. Police said this series of thefts is unusual. Typically thieves target cars and trucks with their doors unlocked. in this case, in a majority of the almost three dozen break-in reports, the doors were locked.
Anyone with possible identification of the pictured individual or with information regarding any of the burglaries is asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165 or online at www.easttnvalleycrimestoppers.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible to receive a cash reward.