Car break-ins in Columbia down 16% this year, but one resident has experienced several at one apartment complex

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Car break-ins in Columbia have decreased by about 15.9% compared to this time last year, according to data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

However, this statistic offers little comfort to Tyler Rush, a resident of Tiger Village Apartments, who has had his car broken into three times in the past seven months. Rush has lived at the complex for only about a year.

Rush said during the first break-in, thieves stole a gun from his car. In the second incident, they cut the dead bolts off his trailer and took a crossbow. The most recent theft involved the loss of his gym bag, which contained expensive equipment.

The Columbia Police Department has previously said that stolen guns are frequently involved in violent crimes.

Rush noted that his apartment complex is not the only one experiencing break-ins in the area.

"I've been in contact with different areas, checking in with other apartment complexes, and they've been having the same situation," Rush said. "It's escalated to the point where we're trying to work together with other complexes to resolve this."

The leasing manager of Tiger Village Apartments said they captured video footage of the suspects' car during the last set of break-ins. The complex is now working closely with the Columbia Police Department to identify the suspects.

State data shows there have been 317 reported thefts from motor vehicles through the first six months of this year. During the same period in 2023, there were 377 reported thefts. In 2024, 17 of those reports were "cleared," and six arrests were made. Five of those arrests were juveniles.

During the same period in 2023, 11 cases were listed as "cleared," and 11 arrests were made, all of which were juveniles.

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