String of car break-ins reported near Tacoma Dome as heavy-metal fans gathered for concert

A string of car break-ins and attempted car break-ins hit the area around the Tacoma Dome on Thursday night around the time of the KORN concert .

Tacoma Police Department detective William Muse told The News Tribune there were six complaints of vehicle-related theft between 8:21 p.m. on Oct. 10 to after midnight, all within about a mile of the Tacoma Dome, 2727 E. D St.

“Anytime you have an area of town where there’s a large population of vehicles or a major event, it could be the convention center or any of the hotels that are sponsoring a big event . . . there are just those people who take advantage of others in those circumstances,” Muse said.

He told The News Tribune the Police Department received six complaints of vehicle-related theft near the concert venue last night. He wasn’t able to confirm that all six were associated with concert-goers.

• 2100 block of South C Street, 9:05 p.m. and 11:07 p.m.
• East 32nd Street and McKinley Avenue, at 10:55 p.m.
• East 32nd Street and East D Street, 10:27 p.m.
• 2700 block of East D Street, 12:28 a.m. and 12:31 a.m.

The KORN concert drew over 14,000 people to the Dome last night, according to Muse, who helped with security at the event. There were officers helping with traffic control as concert-goers tried to find parking.

Because parking at the Tacoma Dome is limited, people often park on side streets, which aren’t monitored during big events, he said.

“We’re still trying to develop a workaround for that in terms of increasing patrol officers in this area if they’re not tied up on actual calls for service,” Muse said. “They drive through those areas to act as a deterrent.”

He said the department always encourages people to make sure they don’t leave any valuables in their car visible from the outside. Using a steering wheel lock, tire boot or any other deterrent that shows a prowler or thief that “this car is not worth it” are a hassle but better than the alternative, according to Muse.

Even leaving something like a gym bag in view can invite a break-in attempt, he said. It doesn’t need to be a laptop computer or something obviously valuable. People engaged in criminal activity can guess a gym bag might hold credit cards, cash or a cell phone, not just smelly clothes, and come away “25, 50 or 100 bucks richer than they were before they broke into the car,” he said.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated a guitar was stolen close to the Tacoma Dome. That break-in occurred at South 38th Street and Pacific Avenue. It also misstated the location of the complaints at 12:28 a.m. and 12:31 a.m. These occurred at the 2700 block of East D Street.