Thieves got away with firearms during a series of car break-ins at multiple fire stations in Broward County over the weekend, officials said.
Vehicles at Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue stations 3, 47 and Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Station 32 were broken into between Saturday and Sunday.
All kinds of items were stolen including firearms, after the thieves broke windows to get into the cars.
Cash, navigations gear, and other personal items have been taken but detectives are most worried about the 10 weapons that were stolen, including Glock and Springfield models.
"Yes, there were some firearms that were stolen so that concerns detectives as well," Broward Sheriff's Office spokesperson Veda Coleman-Wright said.
At Fire Station 32, 17 vehicles were burglarized inside the gated area located at 3400 Southwest 4th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, officials said.
"It's just a shame to think that while these law enforcement officers and firefighters are working, some of them were actually on duty at the time the cars were burglarized, that someone would come in and break into their cars and steal items," Coleman-Wright said.
At station 47, the vandals jumped the fence between 2 and 5 a.m. Sunday. All eight vehicles parked at the station were targeted and had broken windows.
The fire stations are surrounded by fencing and have cameras, but that's not enough of a deterrent to what police think is a well-organized operation.
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"They do believe obviously these are connected, that these firehouses are being targeted and that this is not random," Coleman-Wright said.
And that’s a worry as it's apparent the fire stations and the comings and goings of the crews here were being closely watched.
Detectives are now going over video from cameras at the stations and the physical evidence gathered at the scenes.
Anyone with information on these crimes is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
