CLEVELAND — A group of people from Detroit were arrested in Westlake last week after police allege they tried to steal cars from a car dealership -- and did so in a stolen car.
According to the Westlake Police Department, security personnel for Serpentini Chevrolet of Westlake called police at around midnight on Aug. 7 and said they saw two people in ski masks checking doors to cars in the dealership's lot.
Police tracked down an SUV that was carrying the suspects and stopped it on Hilliard Boulevard. Police say there were three people inside the vehicle, along with "numerous" new car key fobs and equipment to program the keys to cars.
A police investigation determined that the three had traveled from Detroit and had "no good reason to be in the area." Police believe they intended to reprogram the keys and steal the cars from the Serpentini lot.
Police looked further into the vehicle the suspects were driving and found it was allegedly stolen from the police department in Lanthrup Village, Mich. Police say the car's Vehicle ID and license plate had been fraudulently swapped out to avoid detection.
The three were charged with attempted auto theft, trespassing and possession of criminal tools. Police say an indictment for receiving a stolen vehicle will be presented to the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury.