MINNEAPOLIS— Automakers are hoping to put the power back in the hands of car owners, following the recent wave of car thefts.
It’s a national problem. Kias and Hyundais are being stolen at an alarming rate.
Phillip Jeffries was driving in North Minneapolis last week when he saw several children hanging out of a Kia.
“Oh man, that was the biggest shock when I realized one of the kids’ heads jumped out the window,” Jeffries said. “He couldn’t have been more than ten.”
Unfortunately, it is a common sight, teenagers in stolen Kias and Hyundais.
Some are too young to even get a driver’s license for joyrides and often those joyrides are linked to more serious crimes. Like a double shooting in North Minneapolis last month that sent a 17-year-old to the hospital.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara expresses his frustrations and feels like a broken record when speaking about this disturbing trend.
Nearly 3,000 cars were stolen this year, more than half of which belonged to Kia and Hyundai. The last one happened just a week ago.
“There needs to be some consequences taken with these kids,” Jeffries said. “Consequences that stick around, so that the next ones know not to do it either.”
Now Kia is hoping to make its cars more difficult to steal by installing anti-theft software.
The free event runs from 8am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday and from 8am to 3pm on Sunday.
Once the software upgrade is complete, Kia technicians will make updates to the window stickers to deter future criminal activity.
“I’m glad something is being done, I’m glad they’re coming up with a solution,” Jeffries added.
A solution that he hopes will save lives.
