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Amanda Butterfield and Andrew Adams reportingIn broad daylight, at a popular shopping spot, a group of teenagers started stealing cars.
Christoffer Ledesma, whose car was stolen, said, "It's the first time my car's ever been stolen. I just kinda started freakin' out, and didn't know what to do."
Police have arrested two teenagers for stealing Hondas at Jordan Landing Thursday. They got access to the cars by using a "master key."
There are usually a lot of cars parked there at 2:00 in the afternoon, people shopping, eating out or going to the movies. The teenagers got away with only two cars before people walking through the parking lot caught on.
Christoffer Ledesma's car was parked there for about two hours. When the movie was over, though, it was gone. "I'm looking around for my car and I just don't see it! I tell her, ‘Our car's gone!' She goes, ‘No it's over here,' and I go no Hon, we parked by the Baja."
Ledesma called West Jordan police and learned they were trying to find him because they had already found his car. His was one of two Honda Civics taken by teenagers.
Daniel Harkness, with the West Jordan Police, says, "The suspects did have a special key. They could use the key to get in the cars and try to start the cars."
They would get in the car, drive it to another spot in the parking lot, take everything of value in it, then move on. "They were trying to get into all the cars they could," Harkness said.
Shoppers walking through the parking lots noticed what the kids were doing and told police. "Thankfully, we have good citizens in the city," Harkness said.
The West Jordan Officers found one of the cars with two boys inside. Two other boys got away.
Even though Ledesma got his car back, it isn't the same. He says, "they went through just about everything and took it all. My ignition switch is pretty messed up, the lock from my trunk looks messed up."
But he says he's glad he got his car back. "It was the very first car I bought for myself."
Police are notifying the owners of the other stolen Civic. They say if people hadn't turned the teens in, who knows how many cars they could have broken into with their 'master key.'
E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
