Tuesday, October 28, 2008
News Grant Park break-in video goes viral
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 8:49 PM
Earlier today, a friend sent me a YouTube link that scared the crap outa me. In the 90-second video, an SUV pulls up to a house, three guys come onto the back porch, peer through the windows, and then one of them kicks in the door. A few seconds later, they carry a large flat-screen TV out to the SUV and take off.
The reason I had such a strong reaction to the video is because it was taken by surveillance camera at a house in Grant Park a few blocks from mine. I've been hearing about these smash-and-grab robberies around the neighborhood for months now, but it's unnerving to actually watch one in action.
Imagine, then, how unnerving the event was for Dan and Alyssa Kopp, the owners of the burglarized home.
Alyssa says the couple decided to install the video surveillance system when their house was unoccupied during a lengthy renovation earlier this year. Dan, a computer engineer, pulled the burglary footage off a hard drive and edited it down from four minutes.
The couple posted the video online and sent it to friends. As of late afternoon, it had been seen by nearly 2,000 YouTube visitors. So far, the Kopps have been contacted by us, the AJC and several local TV stations. Such is the power of the internets.
Alyssa has been pleasantly surprised by the speed of the response. Even as we talked on the phone, friends were sending her messages about a similar burglary video from East Atlanta, also on YouTube. Website visitors have posted comments speculating on the identity of the thieves.
The crime occurred around 10 a.m. Monday. The burglars were in the house for less than 30 seconds. In addition to the TV, they stole a laptop and a digital camera, Alyssa says. The police dusted for prints and took a report, but Alyssa sounds more optimistic about leads coming out of the video posting.
"I'd rather not get our stuff back, but they catch these guys so they stop terrorizing the neighborhood," she says.
Comments (2)
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They look like the same kids that have been doing this for the past 6 months...they may go to jail, but they will be let out and they'll do it again. Apparently, you can't keep minors in jail very long, and there is nothing that can be done to stop these kinds of burglaries... the blind optimism of the homeowners is kinda funny, and sad.
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We live in Virginia Highlands. Several months ago our house was broken into (window) and the thief stole a digital camera and dvd player after taking a shower, changing into some of my husbands clothes and drinking the best beer in the frig. I work at home and had been out running errands. It's only going to get worse as the economy goes south. We've installed an alarm and are thinking of a large dog and fenced yard. The detective assigned never even called us. I found the pawn shop where the thief tried to hock my camera but the owner was suspicious. It's up to us to spread the word and watch over our neighbors.
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