LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington man said he wants residents to be aware and police to take action after his security camera captured a man carrying what appeared to be a gun going from car to car in his neighborhood.
Jim Bammerlin said his camera captured the footage in the early-morning hours of March 17. In the video, a car drove slowly down the street near Hays Boulevard as three other people went from car to car looking for unlocked door handles.
"It's been going on for about two years," Bammerlin said. "They've taken everything from some kid's Nike shoes to softball bags to cell phones and so forth. There has been occasions where neighbors have left their garage doors open and they've been inside taking tools. One neighbor says they went in their house from their garage door open and took a purse."
Bammerlin said what concerned him most was that one of the people in the video appeared to be carrying a handgun as he walked from driveway to driveway.
"If you were going to leave your house early in the morning to go for a jog, you might come upon that person," he said.
Bammerlin said he has reached out to Lexington Police to share the video. Police did not have specific details to share with LEX 18 News about any theft from vehicle cases, but the Community Crime Map tool on their website shows there have been 314 reports of larceny from a vehicle in Lexington since January 1, 2022. Numbers over that same time period have been in an overall decline the last few years, since 432 reports in 2016.
In the two years since he put up the cameras, Bammerlin estimated he had captured six incidents. He wanted the police to take more action to catch the people.
"I think the police department could bait something, from a vehicle unlocked with some cell phones or something like that that could be tracked. Nowadays, anything could be tracked," Bammerlin said.
Lexington Police have said the most effective way to protect yourself from thieves is to be sure your doors are locked and to never leave any valuables in your vehicles.
