Between 1:45 and 2:15 a.m. on Wednesday, November 7, thieves smashed the windows on several cars in a Mira Mesa neighborhood.

Kim’s car was damaged and her Nook reading tablet was taken. She confirmed other cars were broken into and had items stolen in the Hebrides Drive and Flanders Drive area, a neighborhood of detached family homes near Mira Mesa Boulevard and Camino Ruiz.

Kim discovered her break-in and the other broken car windows later that morning on her way to work. She didn't have an opportunity to immediately make a police report. Kim was told later by another victim that their wallet and credit cards were taken and used.

According to neighbors, nothing like this has happened on their street in more than 20 years, although nearby blocks are known to have been previously victimized. A search of the ARJIS crime-mapping site for SDPD indicated that, in the previous six months, 37 vehicle break-ins were reported within a one-mile radius of Hebrides Drive. Within a half-mile radius of the street, 12 such crimes were reported during the same time period.

Using social media, Kim sought additional information about similar crimes from other victims in her immediate neighborhood and around Mira Mesa. With additional information and exposure, she hopes the perpetrators might be caught soon.

A neighbor, Nick, told her, “I think the block above, east of Westonhill Drive and one to the south got hit, too. It’s difficult to get the info from police. You would think they'd want everyone to know so we could pool our knowledge and catch the people.”

Nick, however, was able to capture a potentially valuable piece of evidence: the criminals on surveillance video. The video files he sent me seemed to be in an unreadable format, but he provided a detailed timeline of what is seen in the video:

2:00 a.m.: At beginning of footage is what I assume is the suspect car pulling up.

2:10:52: You can see a silhouette of the suspect with a flashlight looking in black Mustang.

2:18:06: Flashlight looking in the Ford Explorer across the street.

2:18:17: Flashlight looking in my roommate’s Toyota Paseo.

2:22:14: Silhouette of suspect walking east on sidewalk across my cars, approaching your car.

2:23:52: You can hear the suspect break the glass on your car.

2:24:30: Suspect’s flashlight scans the Ford Explorer across the street again.

2:24:40: You can hear someone's dog barking.

2:25:56: You can hear glass breaking again, presumably at neighbors’ across the street.

2:27:13: You can hear a car alarm go off.