‘I prayed for the thieves’: Richmond man searching for answers after car stolen with holiday gifts inside

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond man is searching for answers after his car, full of holiday gifts, was stolen on Saturday in the Randolph neighborhood. This incident comes after a string of recent car break-ins in the area.

Ring camera footage from about 6 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29 captured three people walking up and down Claiborne Street, pulling on car door handles and checking to see if any were unlocked.

Eventually, the suspects found an open van with the keys inside and stole it. Police say the vehicle has since been recovered -- but the suspects are still on the run.

"It could have been really bad," said Shawn Hull, who owns the stolen Honda Odyssey. "We've been saving for our house. We work really hard. And we have a family."

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This all happened just hours before Hull and his wife realized it was gone.

"We scratched our brains … you know, 'Hey, did we park it out back?'," he questioned. "Then we realized we left the keys in there. And, because it's the kind of car with the fob, you can just start it."

The Richmond Police Department said its officers found Hull’s car unoccupied just blocks away from Claiborne Street about an hour after it was reported stolen.

Hull said the vehicle, which was filled with Christmas presents, remains in police custody, and he has not been able to check whether anything is missing.

"I prayed for the thieves, that whatever they're going through, God kind of helps them through because … and this isn't the way, man," he said.

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Neighbors say other vehicles were broken into that same morning. While the Richmond Police Department has only confirmed Hull’s incident for that day, it did confirm six additional car break-ins occurred in the same area over the three weeks leading up to the theft.

This includes incidents on West Cary Street, Byrd Park Court, Lakeview Avenue and South Meadow Street, as well as Colorado and Maplewood avenues.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen or heard anything to come forward. The department is also reminding residents to lock their car doors and to avoid leaving valuables inside, especially during the holiday season.