SAN ANTONIO – Car burglars appear to be making hotel guests in one area of San Antonio feel unwelcome lately.
San Antonio Police Department data shows at least two hotels in the area near the University of Texas at San Antonio’s main campus have been targeted repeatedly.
Police have received 20 calls in the past 30 days for car burglaries at the Aloft Hotel, located near Interstate10 and UTSA Boulevard.
They’ve also answered 12 calls from victims at the Comfort Inn & Suites on Utex Boulevard during that same period.
“Both of his rear windows were busted. I mean, the glass was just on the ground,” Kal Moussadaq said, describing the mess he noticed Tuesday morning in the parking lot at the Comfort Inn & Suites.
Moussadaq said the broken glass came from another guest’s pickup. Coincidentally, he walked outside at the same time the truck owner did.
“My car just happened to be parked right next to his truck, and me and him walked up and we saw the mess for the first time. It was, like, ‘Wow,’” he said.
Somehow, Moussadaq’s car went untouched.
A manager at the Comfort Inn & Suites told KSAT 12 News that the pickup was one of at least five vehicles hit at that business overnight.
He said his company recently spent $4,000 on a new lighting system in the parking lot in hopes of preventing the repeated break-ins.
However, although the crimes have been reported to police, the criminals continue to strike, he said.
A spokesperson from Aloft San Antonio UTSA Area sent the following statement about the crime spree by email:
The safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority, and we have implemented additional measures to protect our guests and their belongings during their stays with us. We take these incidents very seriously and continue to work closely with the San Antonio Police Department to provide all necessary information as they continue their investigations into this ongoing issue in our community.
Although there appears to be a rash of these crimes affecting the hotels, car burglaries remain a problem city-wide.
Moussadaq said he realizes crime can, and does, happen anywhere. For that reason, he said he takes steps to avoid becoming a victim.
“Lesson learned. Take your stuff with you wherever you go,” Moussadaq said. “You just got to take extra, extra precaution.”