Traffic Stop Leads Tulsa Police To Serial Car Burglary Suspect

A Collinsville man suspected of burglarizing vehicles – many vehicles - is in the Tulsa County Jail. His booking sheet includes 23 complaints of second degree burglary.

Tulsa Police arrested Brian Chamberlain, 29, in a traffic stop at 3 a.m. April 15, 2012.  An officer pulled over his vehicle for a traffic stop near South Memorial Drive and Highway 169, according to Tulsa police.

Tulsa Police believe seven of those cars were broken into at the Guts Church parking lot. It was a tip from an alert church member that led police to the suspect.

Surveillance video shows a man getting out of his car, breaking a window and then climbing inside the truck through that window.

"If we hadn't watched the security cam later that night and I told her the description of the car, he would have gotten away," said victim Tyler Robins.

Early Sunday morning, Heather Cleveland and her friend spotted Brian Chamberlain in the church parking lot.

"We turn our car around and we shine our lights on this person and he jumps in the car and we realize that somebody was breaking into our friend's car," Cleveland said.

Cleveland called 911 and followed the car until Tulsa police caught up to them. When police pulled Chamberlin over, they say they found a car full of stolen items, including Playstations, sunscreen, perfume, books, car chargers and credit cards.

"We believe that he was probably responsible for the vast majority of burglarized vehicles," Tulsa Police Officer Leland Ashley said.

Investigators say Chamberlain has been targeting cars in Tulsa, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Owasso and Catoosa.

In fact he was out on bail from other burglary charges when police say he broke into Tyler Robins car in the church parking lot.

"I saw my windshield broken and I was just like ‘seriously, my windshield's broken,'" Robins said. "I got to looking around and stuff was missing."

Chamberlain even took one of Robins' most prized possessions.

"This is my favorite blazer and I got it back and I was really disappointed," Robins said. "I also got a tripod back and it feels good to know I got my stuff back."

Police say Chamberlain confessed. He now faces complaints of burglary and drugs.

If your car has been broken into, police say it's never too late to file a police report. That's the only way they'll be able to get your stolen stuff back to you if it is recovered.