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'It makes me scared to think someone is watching:' Vancouver police warn of smash and grabs at daycares

Police said to never leave valuables inside a car, even for a few minutes.

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Vancouver police are warning people to take valuables out of their vehicles after a string of smash and grabs.

“I feel very violated,” Tina Werner said.

Werner is still processing what happened to her in early April. She went to Knowledge Beginnings to pick up her two grandkids.

“Didn’t think anything of it,” she said. “Grabbed my phone, keys, locked my car.”

Werner says she was inside the daycare for maybe ten minutes. She walked outside with her two grandchildren and the 4-year-old spotted it.

“She looks down and says, ‘look at the ground,’ and points down and there’s glass all over the ground,” Werner said.

Somebody had broken the window in Werner’s car stealing her purse, checkbook, ID and debit cards.

Credit: Tina Werner

“It makes me scared to think someone is watching what I’m doing,” she said. “Just waiting for the moment to take something that doesn’t belong to them.”

Werner is not alone. Authorities say three other people were victims of smash and grab at three different Vancouver daycares. They all happened in April.

“It’s probably the same people or person casing these lots,” said Kim Kapp of the Vancouver Police Department. “They’ve had success and it’s something they’ll keep doing.”

Kapp said people should never leave valuables in the car.

“An actual smash and grab takes 15 seconds,” he said.

Werner learned that the hard way. But even harder for her is the fear this whole thing instilled in her grandkids, especially the 4-year-old.

“She says those bad people aren’t coming around anymore,” said Werner. “I said no honey, it’s okay, we’re being more careful now.”

Anyone with information about these cases is urged to call the Vancouver Police Department.

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