Another auto-break in at my apartment :(

[Episteme]

So this morning, I suddenly hear a car alarm go off in my building's parking lot, and I look out my 2nd floor window and see two 'thugs' running away from a car that has a broken rear window.
I immediately went outside to see if I could get a better look at them as they made a get-away on foot, and as I'm walking back up my driveway after assessing the damage, two Baltimore city Police cruisers with lights rolling come barrelling up alongside my building toward me. I instantly point down the alley which the two suspects ran, and I give both officers the best description I could. (I only saw them for a matter of perhaps 2 whole seconds as they ran across the lot).
Hopefully they catch the two A-holes who broke that guys window; my car was the next one in the lot.
This is the 2nd auto break-in that has occured in my parking lot in 5 months.
Stuff like this makes my blood boil.
-Mike

[Jakemug]

Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens a lot in and around Colleges/Universities. (Assuming you're in an apartment complex near John Hopkins) Thugs/Thieves know there are a lot of cars with nice stereos, CD collections, clothing, etc..... that belong to students. One of my best friends recently had his golf clubs stolen out of his car while parked at a Clemson University apartment complex. Best advice I can give is never have anything of any value in your car, especially overnight. Maybe even consider leaving your doors unlocked. They usually try a door first then break a window if it's locked.

[Th232]

Damn, you were pretty lucky that night. How many more years do you have to go before you're done in Baltimore?

One of my uncles in Malaysia cut the cable that opened the boot in his car, so that unless the thieves had the key (or someone who could pick locks, pry open said boot, &c) they wouldn't be able to get what was in it. However, he was a car mechanic, so I'm not sure how easy it is for the average person to do that. And of course, it'll only work on certain cars.

Personally, I'm not sure about leaving the car unlocked, if they're planning to take it, then it's much easier to hide just a damaged ignition slot than it is to hide a broken window.

[Puyallupknifegu]

Sorry to hear that Episteme! At least they didn't touch your car!

I've had cars and wheels stolen before, and it sucks!!

Hope they catch those guys!!

Stay safe, ok?

Tim

[Episteme]

Thanks to everyone's thoughtful remarks.
Th232: I have at least 4 more years at Johns Hopkins; the Ph.D program here is 5 years, most students take 6. I'm in my first year.
I grew up in and was raised in one of the safest suburbs in the nation (Somerset county, NJ), and then just last summer I moved to Baltimore for the first time living on my own. Quite an eye opening experience. I've always been a very very cautious person by nature, and I like to think of myself as a prepared individual. But in Baltimore, even right near the Hopkins campus, you can never be too cautious; students get mugged and beaten up near the campus.

Oh well. Prevention is the number one weapon in my arsenal against violent attack; as well as some large canisters of Fox O.C. and a few Spydercos strategically worn about my person + basic MBC. But a little common sense and awareness go a long way.
-Mike

[lerman]

my neighbors house was broken in to, last night, and the only this the separates their yard from ours is a small fence, they took a laptop, cell phone, and car keys(and of course the brand new car), at the same night they took a car from another House in our street, we have a front gate and 8 dogs so i gauss thats why they didn't brake into our house.

[Medic]

JHU, wow, smart kid here that really sucks, my car is the closest thing i have to a child and if someone ever touched it i'd flip out. i park far away from places and walk so no one will even park near me. someone spit on my window the other night at a party and i had to be held back from beating this this kid who i dont get alone with infront of a whole party

[Episteme]

GangstaMedic: Thanks for the compliments. Hopkins is a nice school, and I'm really happy to be here. I applied to ten (10) Ph.D programs and got fully funded offers from only two: Johns Hopkins and UMASS Amherst. Hopkins gave me more money, and it is closer to my fiance (Penn State), so Johns Hopkins it was for me. Princeton, Brown, U. Penn, Cornell, M.I.T. and Yale all rejected my application what a waste of application fees.

Back on topic; my car is merely my means of transportation, and I just don't want anyone to damage it. What is most enraging to me is the fact that there are folks out there who will disregard completely and violate the rights of other people if doing so might further their own situation, no matter how improbable such a benifit really might be. It appauls me how callous and immoral some individuals are as a result of ignorance, malice, or a combination of both.
-Mike