Vancouver police catch thief breaking into bait car in downtown parkade

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      A man who attempted to break in and steal from a car parked in downtown Vancouver was in for a surprise.

      Prior to 9 p.m. on October 17, police officers observed a man allegedly smashing a window of a bait car that was parked in a multilevel parking lot on West Pender Street near Richards Street.

      The suspect reached into the vehicle and grabbed property but officers arrested him when he tried to escape.

      According to VPD Const. Jason Doucette, the bait car was employed in response to a slight increase in car-theft over the past year in the downtown core.

      “Although the property in the car looked generic and didn’t appear valuable, the thief still smashed the window," Const. Doucette stated in a news release.

      Casey James Smith, a 37-year-old man from Vancouver, is in custody and is charged with theft, mischief, possession of break-in instruments, and possession of stolen property.

      The use of this bait car follows on the heels of the VPD's recent crackdown on the theft of personal electronic devices also in the downtown core, which had been on the increase in late summer.

      Between early September and early October, police officers arrested 14 individuals stealing bait electronics.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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