Has it become riskier to park in downtown Seattle?

SEATTLE — Multiple car break-ins at different lots across the city of Seattle are raising questions over parking security.

Friday night, Cory Sokol and Kalibria Flemming attended a concert at WaMu Theater. They parked in different lots about a block apart, but their break-in stories are the same.

“The window was still there, just completely shattered,” said Flemming. “Turned around and find out that the car behind us had their window broken also.”

“It’s not like one car or two, it was at least a dozen,” said Sokol. “There’s glass all over the place.”

Witnesses tell KIRO 7 that very night, just hours later on Capitol Hill, there was a similar string of break-ins at a lot on Melrose Avenue.

“We noticed my friend’s car window was shattered and her car was rummaged through,” said the witness. “We also noticed that the car next to her and a couple of others that were left had the same shattered windows.”

Seattle Police say there is no reason to believe these incidents were organized crime. Jim Fuda, with Crime Stoppers, agrees.

“Whenever those lots are packed, those are crimes of opportunity,” said Fuda. “Nobody is there to stop them.”

According to Fuda, current staffing issues prevent officers from making crimes like these a priority. He thinks that same pinch has also contributed to the increase over the weekend.

When thieves strike and panes shatter – oftentimes Owen Grimm is the one to make the fix. As manager of Chuck’s Auto Repair in Maple Leaf, Grimm has seen firsthand an increased demand for his services.

“A lot of people are telling me shops are out two, three months,” said Grimm. “There’s definitely an uptick.”

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