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Between March 26th and March 30th, the West Lafayette Police Department took several complaints regarding thefts from unlocked vehicles as well as two reports of stolen autos, one of which contained a handgun, from the New Chauncey area of West Lafayette.
The first stolen vehicle was found in a West Lafayette parking lot several hours after it had been reported stolen. The second vehicle, which was stolen two days later and had contained the handgun, had been sighted in Lafayette and fled from Lafayette Police Department officers twice before it was found abandoned in Lafayette. The stolen handgun was not in the vehicle at the time it was recovered.
As a result of these incidents, the West Lafayette Police Department increased its patrol activity in the New Chauncey area. On Sunday April 2, 2023 at approximately 4:44 AM a WLPD patrol officer conducting a directed patrol observed suspicious activity near a vehicle parked behind a residence in the area of W Lutz Ave and Rusk St. As the officer began to investigate, two males fled the area on foot.
The officer directed other patrol units to begin canvassing the area for the suspects, who were captured without incident nearby. Further investigation revealed that the suspects, who were now both identified as juvenile males, had been attempting to steal the vehicle in question but fled on foot when it became stuck after the subjects attempted to drive it off an elevated parking area.
A subsequent investigation revealed that one of the suspects was still in possession of items that had been reported stolen from a vehicle overnight on March 28th. The handgun that had been stolen along with the vehicle on March 30th was also located nearby.
The two juveniles, one of whom is 15 years old and the other whom is 16, were arrested on charges relating to the thefts outlined above. Because both suspects are juveniles, their specific charges cannot be released. The fact that the defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
This is an active investigation and other property has been recovered that investigators believe might also be stolen but has yet to have been reported. If you have any information regarding these incidents or believe you might have been the victim of a recent theft in West Lafayette, you are encouraged to contact the West Lafayette Police Department at (765) 775-5200.
The West Lafayette Police Department would also like to encourage all students and residents to lock their unattended vehicles, refrain from keeping spare keys and firearms inside their vehicles, and keep valuables and other belongings out of sight.
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