Car Break-Ins Rise In Brady District; TPD Up Patrols

Dozens of car break-ins in the Brady Arts District are prompting police to step up patrols.

Tuesday morning, officers arrested William Jernigan in connection with breaking into a car; but they say he’s not the only involved, and more burglars might be out there.

Ashley Seaton and many others who leave their cars in the popular downtown district have come back the next morning to find windows smashed.

"I walked over to my car, there's this huge cement block in my car, glass everywhere. Nobody took anything, but they did look through my stuff," she said.

Now, a team of officers hopes to stop the vandalism after receiving reports of someone breaking into dozens of cars in the popular entertainment district.

Seaton said, "I have baking soda because it rained in my car all night. I'm still trying to get the smell out. Glass was everywhere, all in my seat. There was water all in my cubbies."

Most of the break-ins happen in the overnight hours on weekends.

Security cameras show one man smashing out the window of the Mr. Nice Guys Taco Truck. Mike Emery said the window on his vintage truck is going to be hard to replace, and that he hopes the vandals get caught.

"It's definitely a setback,” he said. “We already have enough to deal with on a daily basis. It comes out of our pocket you know, so it's definitely frustrating to wake up to something like that."

Tulsa police officers are cracking down on the vandalism with increased patrols.

Sergeant Bryan Bryden, who heads up a special unit dedicated to downtown crime, said, “It's definitely an uptick for the last three weeks or so, so we are definitely are aware of it and working to try and solve it and get it taken care of.”

Seaton now leaves her car at home.

"It's ridiculous. You try to be safe and you try to be responsible and you can't even trust that your possessions aren't going to be vandalized," she said.

Bryden said three patrols are being added this weekend to the Brady Arts District.