Police Investigating Dozens of Car Break-ins, Primary Items Taken Were Handguns and Electronics

Since Jan. 1, dozens of vehicles have been broken into in the northeast part of the county.

In the Gwinnett County Police Department's North Precinct, which covers a portion of the Hamilton Mill area of Dacula as well as Buford, Sugar Hill, Rest Haven and unincorporated parts of Lawrenceville and Suwanee (see map), a total of 47 car break-ins have been reported since Jan. 1 according to precinct commander Maj. John Strickland.

"[The] entering autos were a combination of both forced and non-forced," Strickland wrote in an email to Patch. "Several were pick-up trucks and SUVs in which the door locks were broken."

In those instances, Strickland explained, the suspects punched a small hole into the door near the lock and were subsequently able to defeat the locking mechanism.

One of the most recent incidents occurred Jan. 26 at the Hamilton Mill 14 theater in Dacula. The victim in that case emailed Patch and advised the lock was punched on his Ford F150. The thief or thieves reportedly took two guns and a flight bag with data and support equipment. 

Read the full article on Dacula Patch.

Have you ever been the victim of a car break-in? Were any of the stolen items ever recovered? Let us know in the comments.

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