Red Deer RCMP are reminding the public not to leave vehicles unlocked and idling after a thief crashed a stolen minivan into a house Tuesday morning, then stole a truck and crashed it into a parked car.
Police said an unattended, idling minivan was stolen in the Timberstone area early in the morning. The van was driven into a house on Ireland Crescent and abandoned. Then the thief stole a U-Haul truck idling nearby and fled the area. RCMP recovered the truck in the Pines neighbourhood, where it was abandoned after it struck a parked car.
Police said no one was injured in the collisions, and the house did not appear to have sustained any significant damage.
“Most vehicle thefts are crimes of opportunity and the events of this morning bear that out. When the thief crashed one stolen vehicle, he only had to look within a block to find another opportunity,” said RCMP Cpl. Karyn Kay.
A third car was stolen Tuesday morning in the Glendale area while it was left running and locked. RCMP were unable to confirm if it was linked to the other thefts.
Kay said police also recovered a number of vehicles Tuesday morning that had been stolen out of Red Deer in the past few days.
“RCMP receive reports of stolen vehicles nearly daily in the city, and a significant number of those have been left unlocked and running. Not all crime is preventable, but many of these thefts are.”
Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to contact the Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or report it online at www.tipsubmit.com.