COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Investigators raided at least three homes in metro Atlanta on Thursday and seized luxury cars they say are tied to an illegal car ring.
Channel 2's Chris Jose first broke the news on Twitter.
Jose was on Noelle Place in Cobb County, where crews loaded what authorities said was a stolen Lamborghini onto a tow truck.
Jose learned that authorities have also raided several other homes in metro Atlanta.
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Neighbors took cellphone pictures of the large police presence on Noelle Place.
Jose spoke to Guy Hayden, who lives across the street from where a SWAT team and FBI agents showed up Thursday morning.
"I kept checking it out and all of a sudden, we were looking out, and there were 10 cop cars out there," Hayden said. "They had the SWAT vehicle in the grass, ready with the battering ram in front of it."
A high-ranking source familiar with the investigation said the raid is part of an illegal luxury car ring involving a large crime organization.
The source told Jose the group is flipping vehicle identification numbers on stolen cars, effectively masking the thefts.
Officers raided two homes in Cobb County and one in Atlanta.
Jose was in Cobb County as the sheriff's office searched the home on Noelle Place and looked through a white BMW in the garage.
"They were ready for whatever was going on in that house," Hayden said.
A police spokesman said officers showed up to assist with a warrant. Neighbors told Jose no one was home.
Jose learned the home on Noelle Place was a rental. Jose was working to get in touch with the owner. Neighbors said they have seen several luxury cars at the home but never suspected any kind of organized crime.