Kennewick Thieves Steal Car, Then Leave Other Stolen Vehicle In It’s Place!

A rash of car thefts is being investigated by Kennewick police, including a bizarre turn of events that saw a stolen car being left at a crime scene.

Starting around 8:20 pm Sunday evening, three Hondas were stolen in Kennewick, but two have since been recovered.

First, a black 1996 Civic was taken from 3030 West 4th, and the driver reported the keys were NOT with the vehicle. Then it gets strange.

After stealing a black 1997 Civic from 402 South Zinser Street around 9pm, the thieves left the FIRST stolen car in it's place!  Early Monday morning, police then found the 1997 model sitting in the 3400 block of West 7th.  The engine was running, but no keys were in the ignition.

Then around 10pm, a black 1996 Civic was stolen from the owner's driveway at 1116 South Morain. This vehicle still has not been recovered.  Authorities also reported three other vehicles - two Hondas and one Acura - were broken into. The thief or thieves rummaged through the cars, but mysteriously, nothing was taken.

Police believe the thieves used shaved keys to access most or all of the vehicles.  It could also be likely they were looking for certain cars to steal,  this could indicate a potential theft operation. Authorities did not say if this was the case. But the fact that certain cars were broken into but nothing was taken from inside is suspicious.

Honda Accords and Civics remain the most stolen vehicles in America, according to Forbes Magazine. They've topped the list for most of the last decade.

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