VANCOUVER -- Burnaby RCMP are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect caught on camera breaking into a vehicle in about 30 seconds.
Mounties have released surveillance video of the incident in hopes someone will be able to identify the suspect, and to illustrate just how quickly these thefts can happen.
The theft was reported to police on July 13 after the victim realized their car had been broken into overnight.
The video shows the suspect driving what police believe is a newer model white Audi Q5. He jumps out of the SUV after stopping behind two vehicles parked in a carport at a home in the Brentwood area.
The suspect then shines a flashlight inside one of the parked vehicles before breaking the front passenger window. He is then seen reaching inside and rummaging around before running back to the SUV and driving away. Police have not specified what was stolen from the vehicle.
The whole incident unfolds in about 30 seconds.
"The video captures the speed at which these thefts take place," Cpl. Michael Kalanj said in a statement Thursday. "This person was not deterred by lighting or the fact that this took place in a residential area. Instead he was focused on valuables that had been left on display in the vehicle."
Mounties say the video is also a reminder of why people should not leave anything valuable visible inside vehicles. Police also suggest having good lighting in your driveway or carport, keeping serial numbers for any valuables inside vehicles and reporting any suspicious behaviour in your neighbourhood to police.
Anyone who is able to identify the suspect is asked to contact the Burnaby RCMP's Prolific Offender Suppression Team at 604-646-9999.
