Report: Car thefts down across Western Washington

Auto thefts across Western Washington have been on the increase since 2020, but a recent report from The Puget Sound Auto Theft Taskforce indicates some improvements since the beginning of this year.

Although slight, according to the report, in February 2024, “426 vehicles reported stolen in Pierce County and 1,069 reported stolen in King County.”

The report noted an average of 52 vehicles stolen per day, down from 62 cars stolen per day in January.

Law enforcement credits this dip in auto thefts partly to “several key arrests of ‘KiaBoyz’” who police have said were operating across the region stealing multiple cars on at least a weekly basis.

“For us, you know it is a win because we’re seeing those numbers decrease, but it’s also sad to see so many young people ruining their lives,” said Sergeant Darren Moss Jr. with Pierce County Sheriff.

With the number of auto thefts down to 426 in Pierce County last month, Sergeant Moss hopes “we can drop below 300, and that would mean an actual reduction in auto theft crimes.”

Following the key arrests police agencies have made against individuals claiming to be a part of “KiaBoyz,” Seargent Moss also told KIRO 7 that with lawmakers passing an initiative to roll back on current police pursuit laws, he’s hopeful the change will also help decrease other crimes across the region.

“Having stolen vehicles go down is a great start, but we’re hoping that this will lead to more change with seeing a decrease in burglaries and armed robberies and these break-ins where they’re smashing businesses with vehicles because now they know not that we’re just catching them but very soon we’re going to be able to chase them when they ram through the business, and it’s not going to be so easy to get away anymore,” said Seargent Moss.

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