Car prowlers break into 5 vehicles outside Seattle gym in just minutes

SEATTLE -- Car prowlers were caught on camera outside a Seattle gym, breaking into five cars in just five minutes. But the owner of Rocket CrossFit says this isn’t an isolated case.

Alyssa Royse is convinced the men seen on her surveillance video Monday night are experienced car prowlers.

“They just systematically go through all the cars in the parking lot, breaking windows so they don’t set off alarms.”

She says this isn’t the first time her parking lot has been targeted.

“In the course of the last 6 weeks, we’ve had nearly 15 car prowls and one car stolen.”

One was her own car. Another belonged to Eta Ghanooni.

“I’ve lived in this neighborhood my whole life,” she says. “This is the first time this happened to me, and I am very irritated.”

Eta hasn’t repaired her windows yet, which is one of the reasons she wasn’t worried about driving her car back to the gym tonight.

“You know what thugs, you guys are the lowest of the world, so have at it.”

According to Seattle Police's latest records, car prowls and thefts are down 27 percent in the South Precinct. They are down 14 percent citywide.

Alyssa doesn’t believe that. When she shared video of the latest car prowl on social media, she says many other victims reached out to her. She’s worried they’re not reaching out to police.

“People have to report, even if it seems insignificant. Insurance won’t cover your window, but you still have to call and report it.”

She says that’s the only way to stop these kinds of crimes, and restore a sense of security to the neighborhood.

“The south end feels like we’re under siege with these essentially petty crimes that add up and feel big.”