HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Hollywood police are investigating after a witness fired their gun at people who were breaking into vehicles early Friday morning, authorities said.
The incident was captured on surveillance video around 2:20 a.m. in the 1000 block of Hillcrest Court.
According to Hollywood police spokeswoman Deanna Bettineschi, responding officers learned that a witness attempted to confront the burglars and fired their gun in the process.
The culprits then fled from the area, Bettineschi said.
A Local 10 News crew was at the scene later in the morning and said more than 10 vehicles were broken into.
“I walked to my car and saw my window was broken,” one victim said.
The windows of many some of the vehicles were smashed and glass was scattered all over the parking lot of the residential community.
“This is very worrisome,” said Hillcrest resident Patricia DeLuca. “We have had a few cars stolen out of the parking lot but I’ve never heard of 12 being broken into at one time.”
One woman who works as an overnight nurse for a disabled person who lives in the community said she found her car with a broken window and her belongings gone.
“They got my Social Security card, they got my credit card, they got my debit card, they got my ID,” she said. “They hurt us and life is not easy but they hurt us.”
Police confirmed that one of the bullets struck a car and then a window of a nearby home, but no injuries were reported.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hollywood Police Department or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.