CORPUS CHRISTI — The holiday season will soon be upon us and so will holiday crime. Police are already dealing with a number of auto burglaries throughout the city.
Last week, police were called to the neighborhood at Williams and Daly Dr. after burglars broke into several other cars there. Two days earlier, a Flour Bluff homeowner found someone breaking into his vehicle.
In both cases, the homeowners confronted the burglars, and the situations turned dangerous very quickly, when the suspects involved fired a weapon.
Melissa Castro, who works for the Corpus Christi Police Department's auto theft task force, warns there's an increase in these types of crimes around the holidays.
"We're busier, we're trying to get things done," said Castro. "You've got deadlines. Christmas is coming, shopping and so forth."
But if you do become a victim Castro and police say to never take the law into your own hands.
"You never know," said Castro. "They may have a weapon. You don't know what type of condition they're in, whether they're under the influence."
"You want to make sure nothing in that car is more valuable than your life," Castro added.
Police also say you can reduce the risk of a car break-in by hiding or removing all valuables. Also, lock your car and never leave a second set of keys inside.
