HOUSTON – One man has targeted a local auto shop to steal car accessories and even cars themselves in southeast Houston.
Sami Abdelmalak is the manager at Star Motor Company on Fuqua in southeast Houston.
He says he's been dealing with the same guy breaking into his trucks, stealing everything from car batteries to stereos and in some cases, the trucks themselves.
Abdelmalak's business not only fixes vehicles, but he sells them as well.
He says the break-ins have been happening since January.
The most recent burglary happened on Labor Day and it was all caught on camera, according to Abdelmalak.
"If I want to know who the guy is and if you give me the right information, I will give them a $1,000 reward," Adbelmalak said.
$1,000 is a small price to pay, considering Sami Abdelmalak said he's had to cough up $20,000 cleaning up the mess the robber has left behind.
After Adbelmalak closed his business for the day on Monday, around 7:30 p.m., the burglar shows up.
Adbelmalak said he proceeds to throw a rock, or a brick of some kind, and busts out the window of one of the trucks. He ends up breaking the steering column and walks away with the car battery.
"I want to see why? What's between me and him?," the manager said.
Abdelmalak said he installed the cameras at his business in March. In April, he said the same culprit came by to steal three of his pickup trucks. He said they were later discovered abandoned but no sign of the thief.
"We got [the trucks] back after we spent over $10,000 on the trucks to get them back and fixed up," he said.
He's hoping the surveillance video at his place, at a neighboring convenience store and the blood the thief left behind will make this an open and shut case.
"It doesn't matter what it cost, I'm going to have to do something about it. I will, and I will get the guy."
The Houston Police Department is investigating. A spokesperson told Channel 2, investigators have yet to receive the surveillance video.