Thieves Break Into More Than 50 Cars In South Buckhead

ATLANTA -- Atlanta police are investigating a rash of vandalism that has left residents feeling violated in south Buckhead.

Channel 2’s Sophia Choi said she counted more than 50 cars that burglars had broken into oveight.

All of the thefts happened in apartment complexes, many of them gated, within a mile of each other.

"There doesn't really seem to be any rhyme or reason as to which cars got hit and which cars didn't," Leigh Hayslip said.

She was one of 11 victims in one complex that was hit.

Her loss: Two iPods and one broken car window.

Choi said that's how the thieves got into all the other cars, by breaking their windows.

"They put something in there and they just pry it out, and it just pops the window. I just, that's how they got so many cars," Jake Franco said, who is a friend of one of the people who had things stolen from them.

Choi counted 55 cars at four apartment complexes within about a mile of each other had been broken into.

Atlanta police said thieves broke into 30 cars at Lenox Heights and 9 at Monroe Place.

Residents told Choi about 11 more at Heights Armour and another five at the Overlook at Lindbergh.

”They saw the iPod cord. That's what the cops said. That's probably why they broke in," victim Brad Poole said.

Natalie Rittenhouse said, "They took my purse, and we did find my purse dumped out over on the drain, with everything. They just took the cash out of the purse."

"They really just kind of went through and just hit cars that they thought they could get stuff out of," Hayslip said.

Police have not said yet if all the break-ins are related.

They are giving the victims the same advice: Don't leave things in your car to entice a thief, like an iPod or phone.