HOUSTON -- Thieves targeted a dozen parked cars in a downtown Houston parking garage Friday, KPRC Local 2 reported.

At least 12 vehicles in the garage at the Post Midtown Square Apartments, located on Bagby at West Gray, were broken into.

A resident blamed Hurricane Rita, saying there is less security than normal.

"When I got up, I wanted to come check on my car to see if there were some good spots. I wanted to park on (a more protected) side to keep my car away from the opening. And when I came up on my bike, just riding around, there's a police officer here. There was a Hummer (with the) glass broken out and a bunch of people out here and I just asked, 'What's going on?' and they said about 12 cars were broken into," resident Kevin Hicks said.

The thieves took a variety of items -- from stereos to laptops to anything else of value.

The crooks broke windows and locks to access the vehicles and their trunks. A cloth convertible top was sliced open.

"So many people are leaving town -- they're getting friends to drive them out, or otherwise, friends are coming here to ride out the storm. There's just a lot of cars, so I guess it's just an invitation to those who would like to break into cars," Hicks said.

He said that car break-ins have never been a problem in the garage before.

Homes, Businesses Targeted By Looters

When Houston-area residents heeded warnings to flee Hurricane Rita, they left behind nearly abandoned neighborhoods and stores -- and a potential playground for thieves.

By Friday morning, at least three people had been arrested on charges of looting. Houston school district police arrested three juveniles Thursday night who were accused of going room to room at a middle school looking for electronics.

"They did this because they thought no one would be paying attention," district spokesman Terry Abbott said. "We are amazed it was happening even before the storm."

Galveston City Manager Steve LeBlanc said he had heard reports that two homes on the island’s west end had been looted.

“Our police department has responded to those calls and we’ll continue to monitor that situation,” Galveston City Manager Steven LeBlanc said.

Houston police arrested a looter breaking into a convenience store on Interstate 10 and Lockwood, according to authorities.

"I just wanted some soup," the unidentified man told KPRC Local 2.

Houston Police Capt. Dwayne Ready said city police were making extra patrols in areas around pawnshops, gun shops and stores such as Wal-Mart that might "be attractive to the criminal element."

Ready said the department would pay greater-than-usual attention to pawn shops and gun shops after looters in New Orleans raided such stores, leaving roving bands of gunmen on the streets after Hurricane Katrina.

"I think the key element in looting is the fact that those who would not otherwise engage themselves in criminal activity (join in) and believe they will be able to hide in the crowd," Ready said. "It's the difference between an unlawful assembly and a riot. Essentially (looting) is theft, but I think its when the crowd believes they can hide against the anonymity of a large crowd engaged in the same kind of conduct."

And with the department at full alert Friday morning, Ready said officers would be very visible as long as weather conditions allow.

"We have put out the message that we are not going to tolerate looting and we have increased out presence and visibility," Ready said.

Abbott said his officers were also planning to be very visible throughout the day.

To the south of the city, in South Houston and nearby Bellaire, police officials said they also had not received any reports of looting.