WASHINGTON — A Maryland-based tow trucker is getting traction on social media for documenting the increasing number of thieves targeting car rims, airbags, and even vehicle doors.
Beebo Abrish started using TikTok in 2019, but it was not until the pandemic hit that he began to increase his usage of the platform to warn drivers about the methods being used to steal rims and tires in a matter of seconds.
"Camrys, Camrys, Camrys, that’s all we are doing is Camrys," can be heard in one his videos as he responds to yet another sedan with no tires sitting on soda crates.
"It is happening everywhere from Hagerstown to Woodbridge," says the trucker with more than two decades in the industry. Abrish says that he has had to tow multiple vehicles for some residents.
Honda rims and airbags are hot commodities according to Abrish, but Toyota parts are the most sought out. "Toyota rims are universal so we can put them on one car and move them to another and you are also going to have a new set of tires" he says.
A most recent video from Abrish, also known as BeeBoDC on social media, shows a Honda Fit in Northeast D.C. missing two doors and a pair of tires.
For now, rim locks seem to be a temporary fix, but BeeBoDC assures that it is only a matter of time until thieves figure their way around these as well.
Abrish has little hope for stopping these crimes but does have some useful advice. He recommends not leaving your lug lock key inside the vehicle, because in most cases thieves know to reach into the glove compartment for this tool. "At least if you make it harder, they might break your window and say forget it and move on to something easier," he said.
Time is of the essence for these thieves, so he advises doing anything to make their job harder.