Cars parked at four fire stations in Gwinnett County were targeted by thieves overnight.
Firefighters discovered the break-ins Sunday morning, Gwinnett police spokesman Sgt. Rich Long said.
Gwinnett County Fire spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said the thieves broke into cars and stole items from fire stations 5, 31, 15 and 23.
A separate location, the former fire station number 10, was also a target and a county-owned vehicle was entered, Long said.
One firefighter told Channel 2 Action News his gun was stolen out of his truck at the station in Norcross.
He said he and his partner were working a fire and when they got back around 7 a.m., police filled the parking lot.
And at least one gun was stolen from a firefighter’s car in a previous incident, Rutledge told Channel 2.
Thieves broke into cars at stations 9 and 21, in Lawrenceville and Suwannee, last Monday, Rutledge said.
A suspicious person was observed and chased on foot by officers at Fire Station 31, which is across from Georgia Gwinnett College.
That individual was not apprehended.
Gwinnett police are working closely with Gwinnett Fire personnel to investigate these incidents and to prevent further incidents from occurring, Rutledge said.
“We're encouraging crews to keep a vigilant watch on their parking lot, all hours of the night and day,” Rutledge said. “We’ve asked police departments in our jurisdictions to step up patrols in our parking lot, and it was again that very extra patrol, that thwarted a vehicle break-in at this fire station.”
If anyone has any information to share in this case, please contact GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestoppersatlanta.org. You can also text your tip to “Crimes” (274637). Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
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