THE BLAZE
A group of masked teens broke into a luxury Range Rover dealership in Wisconsin last week and fled with nine new vehicles, totaling over $500,000 in value, according to Fox News Digital. Those involved are believed to be part of a Chicago-area organized crime ring.
Surveillance footage in the area captured nine masked suspects and their successful break-in of a Jaguar-Land Rover dealership around 6:00 a.m. on February 18 in Waukesha. The location is about 20 miles west of Milwaukee.
The Waukesha authorities said the suspects broke into the dealership and located where the keys for the vehicles were stored before activating the key fobs to locate which vehicle they planned to steal. Waukesha Police Captain Dan Baumann said “[k]ids nowadays are becoming more and more brazen to go out, and to take a group like this, and commit a crime like this.”
The New York Post reported that one of the suspects jumped into a Land Rover Velar and used the vehicle as a “battering ram” to smash through the garage door. The group of teens ultimately made off with a 2019 Porsche Macan, 2024 Land Rover Discovery Dynamic, and a 2021 Jaguar F Type R-Dynamic.
The total value of the vehicles was reportedly $583,339.
While eight of the vehicles stolen belonged to the dealership, there was also a vehicle stolen that belonged to a customer.
One of the suspects, 17-year-old Calvin Valentine, crashed the 2021 Land Rover-Range Rover Westminster, which was valued at $73,998. During an interview with investigators, Valentine claimed that he was picked up Sunday morning in the Chicago area.
“The defendant stated that his friend gave him a key and he got in the white SUV that he crashed during the pursuit with West Allis. The defendant stated he was just ‘doing kid’s stuff,’” the criminal complaint said.
Valentine went on to say that he “did not know what people would do with these cars.”
Now, Valentine faces four criminal charges, including burglary and receiving stolen property. He currently remains in Waukesha County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
“We believe this to be an organized crime group of teenagers from the Chicago area,” Waukesha Police Chief Dan Baumann said.
The reports did not mention if any of the other suspects have been located or arrested.
