Smash-and-grab thieves target Petaluma car lots

Car windows were smashed and valuables stolen from seven cars in Petaluma parking lots in a five-hour time span Friday, police said this morning.

The burglaries all took place in parking lots between 4:36 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., according to police. In five of the seven thefts, electronic items and purses were in plain view in the cars, police noted.

The break-ins happened in the Safeway parking lot on South McDowell Boulevard, the Raley’s parking lot on North McDowell Boulevard, the parking lot of Pub Republic on Lakeville Highway and the Applebee’s parking lot on Old Redwood Highway, according to police.

Break-ins also occurred in the City Sports parking lot on North McDowell Boulevard, the parking lot of Sprouts Farmers Market on Kenilworth Drive and the parking lot of Petaluma Village Premium Outlets on Petaluma Boulevard North, police said.

In one case, a witness noticed a car parked next to the vehicle that was burglarized in the Safeway parking lot, according to police. The vehicle was a black or dark gray older model Toyota or Acura four-door sedan, police said.

The driver was in his early twenties, with black slicked-back hair, according to police.

Police are investigating the burglaries and ask anyone with information to call (707) 778-4372.

Also, law enforcement officers stressed that people should not leave valuables in their cars, or at the least, should conceal them if they do so.