Tucker mother forced to choose between car repairs or Christmas after repeated car break-ins

TUCKER, Ga. – Car break-ins are breaking the bank for some residents of Lavista Crossing Apartments on Lavista Road. 

A Tucker mother says she has had to choose between replacing her car windows and everyday expenses.

What they’re saying:

A woman, who did not want her name used for this article, says she and her husband have had to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket to fix their car windows after break-ins in December and January.

She says she witnessed an attempted break in of a neighbor’s car on Monday morning.

The Lavista Crossing resident says she had to choose between getting the window of her minivan fixed and making Christmas happen for her kids. “Window replacement is not cheap… it’s expensive,” she stated. “I had to figure out… you know, kind of managing my expenses…it’s hard.”

Nearly two months later, shards of glass could be seen scattered across the parking lot of the complex on Wednesday, just two days after the resident claims she witnessed a neighbor’s car being broken into around 4 a.m. on Monday. “Something told me to just look out the window and we seen two people…he sees and we both see flashlights…the car alarm went off and whoever’s car that was, they sped off,” she explained.

“It’s just pretty tragic and devious how this situation keeps reoccurring,” the woman added.

She says though there are cameras around the complex, the property isn’t gated. The woman says she wants to see security hired or more police patrolling overnight.

What we know:

DeKalb County Police say officers arrested two people in a stolen car on Monday night less than five minutes from Lavista Crossing.

While police could not confirm whether the two people arrested were responsible for the Lavista Crossing cases, they did say the pair are believed to be responsible for a number of break-ins around metro Atlanta.

What we don’t know:

Police have not identified the two car theft suspects. It’s also unclear what charges they face.

FOX 5 has reached out to Pegasus Apartments, the apartment management company, to comment on what efforts, if any, are being made to increase security there, but have not heard back as of this publication.