Milwaukee’s brazen car thieves grabbed a Hyundai owned by the federal government.
A vehicle owned by the Department of Homeland Security, which contained a rifle, ammunition and body armor, was stolen last week in broad daylight in Milwaukee as car thieves become increasingly brazen.
Multiple law enforcement sources told WRN that a silver 2017 Hyundai Sonata was stolen in the afternoon hours of April 13, 2022, from the 400 block of E. Wells. The Hyundai contained a rifle, ammunition, and multiple pieces of body armor and was equipped with a light and siren.
Sources tell us it has now been recovered.
We reached out to DHS and Milwaukee Police asking for details regarding the recovery of the vehicle, if any arrests were made, and if the rifle, ammunition, and body armor were recovered. We will update the story if they respond.
UPDATE: Milwaukee Police responded, “Milwaukee Police are investigating a vehicle theft that occurred on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at approximately 1:00 p.m., on the 400 block of E. Wells St. The vehicle was subsequently recovered and four persons of interest were taken into custody. Please reach out to the Department of Homeland Security for further information.”
The vehicle theft comes at a time when Milwaukee is experiencing an explosion of auto theft in Milwaukee, with almost 2,500 so far on 2022. Kia and Hyundai vehicles make up a significant portion of those thefts.
Last year Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs and Alderman Khalif J. Rainey blared, “Council members ask automakers KIA and Hyundai to build vehicles with more effective anti-theft systems.”
A class-action lawsuit filed by Milwaukee firm, Barton Legal, against Hyundai and Kia claims the vehicles have “subpar security measures, thereby making them incredibly easy to steal.”
