This incident didn't occur directly in Hamilton Place Mall area- it happened in the congested area of the several hotels located on McCutcheon Road.
On Thursday morning at 4:35 a.m. my car was stolen from the front parking lot of the hotel I was staying at. Before finding out my car had been stolen.. that morning at about 5:30 am, me and my boyfriend walked our two dogs in the back of the building where I discovered a back window that had been busted out of a truck. We immediately reported what we found to the front desk and then we carried on with our morning.
Following later that afternoon we both went up to the front desk to extend our stay. I decided to walk outside first to go ahead and start the car etc. while he paid for our room. As I'm walking out towards my car, which is parked almost directly in front of the main entry way.. I came to a halt when I noticed my vehicle was not where I had left it the night before. I immediately started searching the parking lot in hopes that I may have forgotten where I had parked. I ran inside, told my boyfriend that the car was gone. He insisted we check the back lot to make sure we hadn't made a mistake, but unfortunately it was gone.
We reported to the front desk that my vehicle was missing from the parking lot and then after communicating what we had previously found that morning, the general manager let us know that there was footage of a man dressed in all black clothing approaching my car and getting inside, rummaging through everything for at least a couple minutes, he then gets out runs back across the parking lot and then decides to come back, jump in and takes off.
We reported my car stolen and we didn't expect anything but the worst, considering the recent reports of cars being stolen in surrounding area. We had no luck for about a week, then out of nowhere we got a call letting us know that my car had been recovered and was found abandoned in the Sam's Club parking lot off of Lee Highway in Chattanooga.
During the time my car was gone, no one had any positive feedback. I got told several times my car was never going to be seen again and it most likely was in a chop shop somewhere with nothing left of it. I had very valuable items inside, including expensive handbags, clothing, misc personal items, aftermarket audio system, large tool set, and things that were very nostalgic to me and will never be able to be replaced such as letters, cards, jewelry, photos. On top of that, they stole my license plate and swapped it with the temporary plate I had in the back on my car from when it was purchased last July. It was on the back of it when I picked it up. This was something I prepared myself for because at the end of the day, I do take fault at leaving my fob inside my car but then again.. my fob had fallen between the seats several weeks prior and I just hadn't gotten around to finding it, which is a mistake I'll never make again.
5 days after the car was stolen, they found it and it was taken to a tow yard, I was called and told that I could come pick it up. I was not expecting to find anything left and I thought to myself that it would most likely be almost totaled. But fortunately when I arrived, the car looked just like it did when it left here. But, inside was a nightmare. All of the things inside the car had been thrown out, it was trashed, they had even left their underwear, socks and shoes in my trunk. The car still drives, it runs just like it did when I had last drove it. It was saddening to find my purse, all my items as far as the interior were gone. But, the truck had everything left inside such as the subs/ amp, tools, clothes, etc.
Come to find out, my car was involved with the other 2 cars that had been stolen in the Chatt/ Hamilton place area and it was actually segmented on the news. Previous to abandoning my car in the parking lot of Sam's Club, my vehicle was involved in a pursuit where the driver evaded and to what I've gotten ditched the vehicle when it was out gas. I picked it up and it had 12 miles. He had left all of his clothes inside so it was evident that he had to ditch the vehicle in the spur of the moment.
The individual who was involved in all three robberies was identified with the last name Everett. We are still unsure if he was the man who initially stole my vehicle from our hotel but we are certain of his involvement. I don't want to say too much on this platform, but given news articles and PD reports this is what I've gathered.
This has definitely impacted my day to day life now and I will never leave my vehicle unlocked again, no matter how safe I think the area is. You never know what could happen, I am just thankful I got my car back in one piece and I'm able to carry on. It's just an eerie feeling sitting inside my car not knowing what happened during the 5 days they had it in their possession.
Stay safe! Lock your vehicle and always be aware of your surroundings. You can never be too safe. read more