VIDEO: They tried; they failed; they tried again – and again. See the would-be thieves who kept trying to steal a classic car

Last night, we published Laura‘s reader report about would-be car thieves who tried repeatedly – and failed repeatedly – to get away with her classic all-original 1972 Chevy Malibu. She now has the video from her Harbor Avenue building’s surveillance camera. First, they pull up to “assess the scene,” as Laura puts it:

Then, this clip is a compilation “a compilation of three trips to the car. And they’re in order. On the last one he’s trying to hotwire it. You can see the dome light flickering.”:

It all happened, Laura says, between midnight and 1 am this past Tuesday. If you have a tip for police, the incident number is 15-341205.

P.S. You might have seen Laura and her car at last month’s West Seattle Car Show:

miws October 1, 2015 (4:18 pm)

Not that it’s pertinent to solving this, but just a thought about the flickering dome light; I couldn’t tell if the driver side door was ajar and unlatched, and being bumped by the guy’s movements, which may result in the in-frame switch making contact.

Otherwise, the way to turn the dome light on, would be to rotate the in-dash, pullout (for parking/headlights) switch.

Unless, presumably because of the hotwiring attempt, it was one of those mysterious anomalies of electricity following an unusual path.

Sorry this happened to you and your beautiful car, Laura. I was trying to remember if I saw it at the Car Show.

Mike

ScubaFrog October 1, 2015 (4:35 pm)

Very very nice Chevelle. Sadly, even if the general public catch these guys, I don’t have the faith in the SPD or prosecutors to properly or diligently handle property crimes. If it happened in Issaquah, Woodinville, Bellevue et al, law enforcement in those locales have demonstrated that they pursue and prosecute this kind of crime. Danny Westneat wrote a great article about property theft and the SPD.

jim October 1, 2015 (4:44 pm)

You need to speed the video up and add Yakety Sax for a soundtrack.. Im so sorry for your troubles Laura. I spent more time looking at your Chevelle than any other car at the show.

ws_suzanne October 1, 2015 (4:46 pm)

I sure hope there’s a way to capture a clear image of the license plate of their vehicle and track them down.

It’s staggering how fast and completely fearless they are.

Chuck and Sally's Van Man October 1, 2015 (5:05 pm)

Watching that video makes my stomach turn. Sorry for your worries, Laura. Glad the vehicle is at least still in your possession.

sophista-tiki October 1, 2015 (5:11 pm)

Someones been trying to steal my vintage car right out of my driveway for 2 summers now. Caught them in the act last year.

Dave October 1, 2015 (5:15 pm)

They already have a nice ride. I have an idea for them, what if they got a job and bought their own chevelle? I guess earning things is just too much to ask for these days.

BLB October 1, 2015 (5:43 pm)

What the hell is wrong with people? Beyond tired of creeps and criminals. I hope these criminals get caught.

Mike E. October 1, 2015 (5:46 pm)

It looks like the main guy may not be wearing goves (or they’re fingerless). If so, he touched the front edge of the hood with his thumbs and fingers, several times. Did you have the police process it for fingerprints?

Todd October 1, 2015 (6:40 pm)

I’m so glad they were ultimately inept and gave up. My blood boils when I watch this. I absolutely hate thieves.

Tim October 1, 2015 (6:51 pm)

I wouldn’t call them fast. Rather bold but stupid.

RT October 1, 2015 (7:10 pm)

Looks like they dropped a tool in the process. Did the police dust it for prints? So sorry for your loss, Laura. Hope you got more sympathy when you filed your report than I did when my car was stolen. Too bad the failed attempt at hot wiring didn’t deliver a memorable jolt.

dsa October 1, 2015 (8:02 pm)

Keep an eye out when you see a hood popped open like this. They won’t close it because the noise attracts attention. I’ve had it happen to me.
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I’m sorry they did so much damage Laura, but you did beat them.

Westside J October 1, 2015 (8:43 pm)

Oh wow. This makes me mad. How bad did they hurt the car? Glad they didn’t get it started. I hate thieves.

WSB October 1, 2015 (8:51 pm)

Westside J – see the interior photo in yesterday’s story, linked toward the start of this one.

Neil C October 1, 2015 (8:44 pm)

Total losers. Somebody will recognize that car. Have we determined the make/model/year? I think it might be possible to get the plate or part of the plate number with some enhancement of the video.

Jo October 1, 2015 (9:26 pm)

It’s a 2015/16 Dodge Charger sedan. Pretty distinctive wheel though a stock one on the Charger. Not the kind of car you see a million of every day, keep an eye out for these guys.

Ben October 2, 2015 (8:28 am)

They realized that 4 door charger is garbage and wanted a real car. This is just sad. Should have LoJack and at least the doors locked on a car like that. Bad news parked on harbor ave.

Kate October 2, 2015 (11:31 am)

Laura, your car is beautiful!! Thank God for inept thieves. My Baby – a Caprice that’s been in my family since new (three generations!) – was stolen from me. I got her back, amazingly, after 11 months. This happened in 2000 and I’m STILL tracking down the last few odds and ends to restore her, 15 years later. Finally next year I should be able to show her off in car shows. Yay for car gals!!

Riff Raff October 2, 2015 (7:16 pm)

no reason to post her pic is there?

Chemist October 2, 2015 (8:54 pm)

I like the pic of Laura smiling with her car under happier circumstances. Reminds us that the victim isn’t a machine but a person we might even know. Why do you object?

WSB October 2, 2015 (8:59 pm)

Just FYI, since I didn’t make it clear – Laura sent the photo with her original batch, the damaged interior and the stills from the video. I wouldn’t have just pulled one out of the archives of what we shot at the car show (I haven’t even looked to see if we had photographed her car).

Sorry, comment time is over.