Gwinnett County Public Schools police are searching for thieves who broke into 37 vehicles across three schools Tuesday.
District Police Chief Tony Lockard said in a news conference Thursday the same group of people is believed to be responsible for all the break-ins, which happened within about an hour in the middle of the day.
Lockard shared the following timeline:
- The group started at Archer High School in the southeast part of the county at 12:17 p.m. and broke into 11 cars.
- They then went to Cooper Elementary School a few miles away, but there were no break-ins reported.
- They traveled next to Trip Elementary School in Grayson, just about 3 miles away. There were 14 break-ins at that school.
- Their final stop was Brookwood Elementary School at 1:19 p.m., about 9 miles west in Snellville. Lockard said they broke into 12 cars there.
Lockard said there have been no charges or arrests related to the break-ins. The suspects were captured on surveillance video and appear to be males in their late teens or early 20s, he said, adding that they are not believed to be students.
The department did not share suspect footage or photographs, citing the ongoing investigation. It also didn’t share details about items taken.
Lockard said the message to staff, students and others parking their cars at schools is if you “see something, say something” about any suspicious activity. “We’d rather respond to an incident that there is nothing to it as opposed to someone saying, ‘I saw something, and I should have called.’”
District spokesman Bernard Watson said that break-ins have been an issue in Gwinnett County and across metro Atlanta and advised drivers to exercise the same caution parking at a school as they would anywhere else by not leaving valuables in the car and leaving nothing in plain sight. He also noted some of the cars burglarized were left unlocked.
Lockard said there are two school resource officers assigned to each high school. Other officers patrol various elementary schools but also make stops at classrooms for lessons and other activities. As a precaution, there are extra officers at schools with attention on parking lots, Lockard said. He’s also asked other local law enforcement for help with patrols.
Gwinnett school police encourage anyone with information about the break-ins to call their office at 770-513-6715. They may also leave an anonymous tip on the GCPS Tips app or at p3campus.com/5105.
About the Author
