Back in September News5 took a deep dive into the growing problems surrounding construction site thefts across the Pikes Peak Region. With ongoing problems, investigators say there are major concerns someone is going to get hurt as these bold and frequent crimes continue.
From home builders here in the Cimarron Hills area to construction companies in the industrial areas of Colorado Springs construction site thefts continue to have a costly impact, but it's the increasingly bold actions of these crooks that have business owners and investigators saying this has to stop.
At the Gibby's Construction yard near Astrozon and South Academy there are surveillance cameras everywhere.
"It's shocking to me to know they could care less if they are on camera," the business manager told News5.
In just nine minutes the two suspects break into the yard and arrive in their red pick-up truck managing to cause thousands of dollars in losses and damage for this family owned construction company.
You can even hear one of the thieves using a tool to remove the catalytic converter from one of the work trucks.
As one of them continues to explore the yard, the other then manages to get tool boxes on the truck opened up, stealing both equipment and pipe fittings.
"They are doing nine minutes worth of work and how many months of damage for our company? We work so hard from paycheck to paycheck and now this one time alone has set us back five or six thousand dollars," said one of the leaders of Gibby's Construction.
It's been several days now since this crime happened and this local business hopes someone who sees this video will notice something about the vehicle or suspects that can help investigators hold them accountable.
"When you're looking back at it, it just infuriates me every single time I watch it because you just want to catch them so bad," said the business manager.
In a separate incident just a day earlier in the Cimarron Hills area near Constitution and Shawnee Drive, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office says a sergeant on patrol in the overnight hours encountered a single cab, late 1990's, white Ford pickup truck in the area that is full of construction materials where new home builds are going on.
"Fortunately in the middle of the night our sergeant had an opportunity to do some proactive policing and we saw whoever was in that vehicle was absolutely willing to be violent with us," said Sgt. Jason Garrett of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators say as the sergeant pulled in behind the suspect vehicle, the driver rammed the law enforcement vehicle causing damage to the front end of the sergeant's vehicle and the tailgate of the suspect's truck.
"If they are willing to be that violent with cops versus just simply trying to get away. What are they going to do with just your average citizen?" said Sgt. Garrett.
With law enforcement agencies operating at critical staffing levels, someone encountering construction site thieves may be on their own for awhile before help can arrive. We heard about one of these encounters from the owner of Vanguard Homes.
"These people are violent. They carry weapons. I have caught people that are about to steal and it's not a friendly, oh gee mister sorry we'll leave. There were a lot of threats made," Mark Long of Vanguard homes told News5 back in September.
Investigators are asking people to call in an anonymous tip, even if it's about a friend of family member.
"For those of you out there who may be aware of a loved one, a friend, or someone committing these crimes I would encourage you, if you care about them, you need to report them. There is a big difference in how the judicial system will respond when they are caught between a simple property crime and stealing property versus a violent person crime or assaulting a cop," said Sgt. Garrett.
Remember, if you know something you can always remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward by providing information to Crime Stoppers at 634-STOP.
