Thieves steal $250,000 worth of wheels at Texas dealership

During the wee hours of Sunday morning this week, thieves broke into a Chevrolet dealership in Tyler, Texas and made off with $250,000 worth of brand-new wheels and tires.

They weren't stored in a parts room or the service center; they were bolted to assembly line-fresh cars and trucks — 48 of them to be exact.

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A yet-unknown number of thieves in a large box truck cut the locks on the dealership gates at around 1:22 a.m. Sunday morning. They then disabled the lot's lighting system that normally illuminates the unsold vehicles, according to Automotive News.

Image: Detective Gary King/East Texas Auto Theft Task Force

In the light of day the next morning, dealership employees found the 48 wheel-less vehicles, including Camaros, Traverse crossovers and Silverado pickups on blocks with their lug bolts left strewn around them.

Police estimate the heist took around four hours to complete. Although surveillance cameras were rolling, with the lights cut, it's hard for law enforcement officials to ascertain how many suspects were involved in the burglary.

Not surprisingly, some of the vehicles were damaged. 

“We’ll go through and do a full safety inspection, get wheels and tires replaced and we’ve contacted our insurance company,” David Bates, general manager at Peltier Chevrolet told Automotive News.

Police officials said that thieves similarly struck another Tyler, Texas dealership last year. What's more, it's happened at other dealers throughout the state.

Image: Detective Gary King/East Texas Auto Theft Task Force

For as depressing as the theft was, it is kind of impressive. I've had enough trouble getting a single wheel off a car in broad daylight. I can't imagine yanking all four off 48 in a few hours.

The second part of this feat is already afoot, I presume. The crooks now have the unenviable task of unloading all $250,000 worth of wheels without getting caught.