Local Army veteran has irreplaceable belongings stolen from her U-Haul

TACOMA, Wash. — Local Army veteran, Leah Phillips is devastated after some of her irreplaceable belongings were stolen out of a U-Haul Friday afternoon.

Phillips said around 12:30 p.m., a man pulled up in a white car, got out, and stole two black containers and a tan military duffel bag from the truck.

“It hits harder because this is not stuff, I can replace,” she said. “This just really made me mad and sad and disappointed in the people in Tacoma for allowing this theft to happen.”

Surveillance video captured the entire thing on camera. The video shows a white car pulling up next to the U-Haul. The person checks the front seat and then heads to back of the truck, grabs a tan duffel, and puts it in the car.

The man returns to the U-Haul truck and grabs a black container with a yellow lid and also puts it in the trunk. He starts to drive off but stops again to grab another black container and puts that in the backseat.

The video shows him driving off with Phillips’ things inside.

“The totes were filled with thousands of hard-copy family photos of us, me and my sisters growing up, those aren’t digitized anywhere,” she said. “There was a tan military duffel bag with wheels, tons of straps but inside of it was just sentimental photos and pictures.” Phillips said they were gone for less than five minutes when the thief swooped in.

“We didn’t leave long spaces away from the U-Haul where it was unwatched, so it really was a crime of opportunity for him,” she said.

Phillips, an army veteran, said inside the duffel bag were photos and trinkets of all the places she’s been.

“He probably thought there was military gear in it which that can fetch for a high price, Unfortunately for him it was not, it was just pictures that don’t mean a lot to him but mean a lot to us,” she said.

Phillips said her phone number is written on the yellow lids of the black containers.

Phillips filed a report with Tacoma Police who are investigating. If you have any information, call the Tacoma Police Department.

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