Russ Hamill is the Police Chief of Laurel, Maryland. When a group broke into 121 cars in one night, he had his work cut out for him. Security footage showed at least three suspects going street-to-street, smashing the windows of parked cars.

Hamill explained, “They were just simply going through neighborhoods and targets of opportunity, breaking into cars. If there was something in there, they’d steal. If there was nothing in there, they’d move to another car.”

They ended up breaking into 54 cars in Laurel, Maryland, and 67 in Prince George’s County. Two suspects completed these break-ins while a third idled nearby in a stolen car in case they needed a quick getaway.

Tracking down the car break-in crime spree suspects

Hamill and his detectives dug into the footage and other evidence. The state’s attorney gave his department a warrant for one suspect’s home in Beltsville, Maryland. There, they found evidence of stolen items such as credit cards. They also found the keys to the stolen car that had been used as a getaway vehicle. Hamill said his department, “managed to link him to all 121 events throughout the region.” But that’s not all. They found the keys to 25 other cars.

This new evidence points to a much larger criminal enterprise. Hamill admits it was a heavy decision to detain the suspect, who’s 16. “We don’t do this lightly.” He clarified, “We don’t ask for young people to be held on a whim. We do so to help protect the community and them.”

The police department and state’s attorney agreed the teen should be held while they continued to investigate. But it wasn’t their choice to make. The Maryland Department of Juvenile Services released the suspect hours after his arrest.

Chief Hamill made strong statements after the suspect’s release, more break-ins

Hamill said, “He was released back into the community, back into the environment that allowed him to be …  late at night and in the … … I have little hope there will be further accountability for … .”

The chief argued that the break-in case is not just a “lower level crime.” Such an extensive and calculated crime spree affects many members of the community: “I had one woman stop me and mention to me that this is the third time this has happened to her car. And because the deductible was so high she had to make adjustments in her home including the purchase of food.”

The night after the teen’s release, 17 more cars in the area were broken into. See the latest coverage of this robbery spree in the video below: