WASHINGTON — A quick scroll on social media will likely have you bumping into post after post of cars with their tires gone.
Beebo the tow truck driver has been documenting the thefts for a while now. He told WUSA9 he's called to tow cars that have had their wheels stolen all across the DMV.
In October, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) shared surveillance footage of someone stealing tires off of a car on Hunt Place in Northeast.
MPD shared their most recent number of thefts reported with WUSA9 Thursday night.
- There were 472 reports of tire and rim thefts from Jan 1 – Oct 10, 2022.
- There were 161 reports during the same time frame the previous year. (Jan 1 – Oct 10, 2021)
- There were seventy (70) reported thefts of tires and rims from November 6 - December 5, 2022. The number of tire and rim thefts increased by 27% (from 55 to 70) when compared to the prior 30 days (October 7 – November 5, 2022) and increased by 67% (from 42 to 70) compared to the same timeframe the previous year (November 6 – December 5, 2021).
Those numbers do not include thefts from 2023, like the one in the picture below on 9th Street and D Street in Northeast.
In Northwest, neighbors told WUSA9 a car had it's tires stolen on Johnson Avenue and South Street.
"I noticed a car on bricks that clearly had its tires removed," said Ben White.
He told WUSA9 he keeps his head on a swivel these days.
"Whether it's jackets being taken or cars, I just think these are parts of living in the city and you just try to stay aware," said White.
The insurance company, Geico shared some tips on how to prevent your tires from being stolen.
- Install an alarm, with a sensor that can detect tilts or angle changes
- Park in a secure well-lit area
- Turn your wheels to a 45 degree angle when you're parked
- Park close to the curb
- Consider buying lug nut locks
But, as a reminder, "don't leave your lug lock key in the car because they're gonna break your window they're gonna open the glove box take the key out and easily get it off," said Beebo.