MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Almost 30 cars were broken into near the University of Memphis south campus Sunday.
The parent of a student told us an alarm went off, saying a student’s car was broken into a little after 5 p.m. Wayne Ellis showed us the damage he says was done to his son’s car while it was parked at the University of Memphis Sunday evening.
“One of the kids has an alarm on his vehicle and it texted him letting him know someone had broken into the vehicle,” he said.
When they went outside, they said they saw 29 vehicles with damage.
We were there and saw window after window broken out with glass spread across the parking lot near the baseball field.
“It’s frustrating because it’s not just the first time this has happened. This has happened multiple times. It looks like they’re targeting our kids when they’re leaving to go out of town to play baseball games for the school. You know our kids love to play for Memphis, they love to play for our coaches and for each other,” Ellis said.
It’s unclear what, if anything, was taken from the vehicles but the damage left behind is evident. Ellis said the university told them cars were patrolling in the area but he’s unclear when or what time. He’s calling for more patrols and gates.
“As a parent, we are really concerned for their safety. Not only for their safety when they are coming into this parking lot but, just think what would have happened if they would have come up on the scene when this was happening,” Ellis said.
He said parents are now reaching out to the school to set up a meeting about the crime, how to keep their children safe, and to see what their options are for some of the damage.
The Univerisity of Memphis said they are working to improve campus safety in the following statement:
“The University of Memphis shares the frustrations of our students, parents, faculty and staff concerning crime on our campus and in our community. We are currently investing heavily in various actions to improve overall safety, including additional fencing, lighting, cameras, personnel and other measures to enhance security on campus. The University takes these matters very seriously, and we will continue to build on these investments and partner with the City and County on additional efforts.”