TAMPA, Florida – Police say some thieves have been caught on camera stealing cars from a dealership in Tampa, Florida.
They broke into a used-car dealership Friday morning.
They managed to take several cars from the lot.
Signs warning that multiple surveillance cameras were rolling didn't stop the group of 10 young men from busting through the front windows of the Prespa Auto Sales lot.
"Not really sure why they picked that time specifically, but I can tell you that certainly under the cover of darkness, more crime can occur," Tampa police Lt. Anna Richardson said.
Clear surveillance video shows the men busting in and rummaging through the drawers until they finally found the keys to eight cars.
Once all of the men had their own vehicle to steal, they used the stolen minivan they arrived in to ram the gates -- allowing the group to get away.
"Anything they can do to reinforce their business and make it much more difficult for the bad guys to come and their cars are certainly things we would encourage them to do," Richardson said.
In light of the bold theft, the Police Department is now urging car lot owners to take extra safety precautions.
"Don't let customers or people who come there see where the keys are kept and reinforce the gates, perhaps leaving a car in front of the gate so the gate can't be pushed down and that type of thing," Richardson said. "And if you happen to see something, say something.
"If you are driving to work in the morning and you see something unusual, it doesn't seem right that a lot of cars are exiting the car dealership at that hour, certainly call us."
Two of the eight stolen cars were later recovered, one of them after a crash with another vehicle.
Police believe the suspects are part of a bigger crime group based in Orlando.