COBB COUNTY, Ga. — “Sliding” is a method police say that many crooks are using to steal from people while they’re pumping gas.
Police said “sliders” are thieves who snatch women’s bags when they’re busy pumping gas.
Channel 2's Chris Jose spoke to one victim who had her purse stolen two weeks ago in Cobb County. She said it took just seconds.
“I don't know if it was more than 30 seconds,” Kristina Hausman said.
Surveillance video shows Hausman at a QT gas station on Paces Ferry Road in Vinings.
“I literally paid for my gas, put the pump in, came back to see if it was still going still, and got back into the car,” Hausman said.
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Hausman said she never saw the SUV pull up next to her or the thief slide into her car.
“I have that moment I just got violated, and at 10:45 in the morning,” Hausman said.
Police said Hausman’s case could be tied to several other slider thefts in metro Atlanta.
“These suspects have been hitting several different locations,” said Cobb County Sgt. Wayne Delk.
Two weeks ago, Channel 2's Chris Jose was at the same gas station and spoke to local attorney Katherine Russell. Thieves slid into her car and stole her purse.
“They're putting other people’s lives in danger,” Russell said. “They're committing more crimes, in the process and it's really just snow balling.”
Police said thieves nearly hit some pedestrians while they sped away.
“There are guys out there, suspects, criminals who are looking for opportunities to steal,” Delk said.
According to the police report, the thieves tried to use Hausman’s credit card at the Footlocker at the Cumberland Mall.
Hausman said she had already reported the cards stolen.
Since January, police records show a dozen car-related thefts on a 5-block stretch near the QT gas station on Paces Ferry Road.
Theft from vehicle at gas stationWe have had five recent thefts from vehicles while the victim was pumping gas. As you can see from the video it took the suspect 8 seconds to reach into the unlocked vehicle and steal a purse. We believe all five incidents are related even though we do not have any identifying photos of the suspects yet. On Sunday 2/11/18 one of our officers spotted this vehicle and pursued it eastbound on I-20 until it became too dangerous to continue the chase due to weather, speeds, and increasing traffic as they got closer to Atlanta. We believe these suspects are from Atlanta and have most likely committed this same type of theft throughout the metro area. They are often in different vehicles and the one we chased had a paper tag that was not identifiable. Please stay alert, keep your vehicle locked, and don't leave valuables in plain view.
Posted by Douglasville Police Department on Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Cox Media Group
