Tampa police are searching for at least 10 suspects accused of burglarizing and stealing cars from a car lot.
The burglary happened Friday at Prespa Auto Sales located on the 6800 block of North Florida Avenue.
Police said the suspects arrived in a Honda minivan that was stolen from the Orlando area.
Two of the suspects are seen in surveillance video climbing through a broken window and entering the business. The two men sifted through drawers, stole papers and even a trash can.
The other suspects, believed to be juveniles, are seen on video breaking into vehicles in the lot while the minivan drove through the gate. The vehicles then drive off the lot, stopping traffic on Florida Avenue as they fled.
“They didn't just come in here and do a minor vandalism or something, they destroyed half of our business," owner Danny Halimi said. "We had 40 cars. Twenty of them were affected so it's pretty severe and it made me feel pretty ill.”
A total of eight vehicles were stolen from the lot, according to police. Seven of the vehicles fled eastbound, while one fled westbound. At least 12 other vehicles were damaged as the suspects left the dealership.
“I am a little disappointed when you see eight cars flying out of here at seven in the morning and you see a gate torn open like this that someone would at least made a phone call to police," Halimi said.
Two of the eight vehicles have been recovered. A 2012 white Dodge Ram is being processed by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. The other vehicle, a 2005 BMW model X3 was involved in a crash and abandoned near mile marker 7 on Interstate 4. It was recovered by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Tampa Police Department is urging car dealerships to be vigilant of suspicious activity and to take precautions.
Lt. Anna Richardson has some advice for other car lots in the area.
“Some of the things they can do to help themselves would be to increase lighting in the area during open business hours," she said. "Don't let customers or other people see where keys are kept. We would encourage the keys for the vehicles to be locked into a safe at night, lock the car doors to the actual vehicles when the business is close. We certainly encourage reinforcing the gates, perhaps leaving a car in front of the gate so the gate can't be pushed down.”
Police say the suspects may be linked to a crime group based out of Orlando.
Investigators say they are working with officers in Orlando who are assisting with the investigation.
Anyone with information about these thefts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).