Video shows alleged car thieves abandon stolen vehicle after being thwarted by gate

Houston police said they're searching for suspects who allegedly tried to steal a car from a townhome community complex but had to abandon the vehicle at the gate.

Surveillance footage of the incident was obtained by KHOU-TV, who also spoke to the owner of the vehicle targeted by the thieves.

Morgan Mannen said she was awakened on Monday at about 7:30 by someone banging on her door. It was her neighbor informing her that someone had tried to steal her car.

“So, I ran downstairs and he told me someone tried to steal my car and it was sitting at the entrance,” Mannen recalled.

She found her Hyundai Elantra in front of the gate. The would-be burglars also damaged the car in their attempt to get out of the complex.

“The whole steering column and everything,” Mannen added. “They hit a dumpster actually as well. I just hope it’s not totaled.”

The two thieves were caught on the security video climbing over the fence of the complex before they zeroed in on the Elantra. Mannen says they sped through the complex trying to find a way out but were unable to find a gate that would open.

“Surveillance video shows them speeding through the whole time,” Mannen said. “Just trying to get out as quickly as they could.”

She told KHOU that 10 cars were broken into at a separate apartment complex right before the incident was caught on surveillance at her complex. Mannen also said that police told her the thieves had abandoned a separate stolen car over the same issue at a gated community.

"They drove a stolen car in there, then they couldn't get it out," she said.

Houston police said they're working to identify and apprehend the two alleged robbery suspects.

“Cars getting broken into is kind of a common thing,” Mannen concluded. “But cars being stolen? Not so common.”

The Houston Chronicle reported that there were nearly 70,000 reports of motor vehicle theft in the city from 2019 to 2023. The number of thefts increased from year to year and increased the most in 2023, by 16%. However, violent and non-violent crime has decreased in the city by 10%, according to a report in Oct. 2023.

Here's a news video about the incident:

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!