Nearly 100 vehicle break-ins reported in one night at mall

Employee who was a victim says: ‘Our safety is in jeopardy.’

A worker at the Mall at Stonecrest is worried for her safety and the success of her business after nearly 100 car break-ins at the mall Friday night, she told Channel 2 Action News.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, works as a nail technician at a beauty salon in the DeKalb County mall. Her car was one of dozens with windows smashed and belongings stolen, Channel 2 reported.

“I was actually with a client and an officer from over here at the precinct came to me,” she told the news station. He said, “‘Ma’am, please don’t tell me the Chevy Impala is yours.’”

She found her car had been rummaged through, and several of her things were gone. Officers told the worker thieves broke into nearly 100 cars that night, Channel 2 reported.

She asked about surveillance footage of the thefts, but police said none was available.

“I was told that there was cameras around here, but there were never cameras around here,” she said. “That means our safety is in jeop- ardy.”

The victims were both mall employees and customers. According to Channel 2, offi- cers chased three people into a wooded area Friday who may be connected to the thefts. The three got away.

DeKalb police have since increased patrols in the mall parking lot, the news station reported.

The nail technician said she worries about the effect crime will have on her business.

“It’s going to hurt us if cus- tomers feel unsafe coming over here and parking their vehicle,” she said. “We can lose.”

AJC FILE PHOTO The vehicles of nearly 100 workers and customers at the Mall at Stonecrest in DeKalb County were broken into Friday night. No one has been arrested.