Terry Thompson Chevrolet vehicle thefts a ‘professional’ operation, Daphne police say

Debbie Williams
·2 min read
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Editor’s Note: We’ve updated this article to align with the latest information we’ve received about the stolen vehicles’ makes and models.

UPDATE (5:12 p.m.): Surveillance video released to News 5 provides new information on four vehicle thefts at Terry Thompson Chevrolet early Saturday morning.

The footage shows four masked men creeping through bushes after being dropped off at a business behind the dealership.

Another camera shows them entering a covered area of Cockrell’s Body Shop off Stanton Road.

After looking around a bit, police said they took some floor mats to throw over the barbed wire of the fence that surrounds the car lot.

“They forced entry through a back door in the service department,” Gulsby said.

Police said the masked individuals found the four keys once they made it inside.

As for the vehicles taken, “Three of them were brand new 2024s, and then there was a 2022 Dodge Charger Hellcat that was for sale,” Daphne Police Chief Brian Gulsby said.

The vehicles, in all, were valued at just under $300,000, according to Daphne police.

“We would consider this kind of a professional sort of operation,” Gulsby said. “This kind of thing happens all over the United States, unfortunately, on a fairly regular basis.”

Investigators believe the vehicles’ GPS systems were all disabled, but they did get one hit on I-65 near Prichard heading North.

A dark four-door sedan was seen dropping off the suspects behind those businesses in Daphne.

Police are asking anyone who may have noticed something unusual on their home security cameras between 2 and 4:30 Saturday morning to give them a call.

If caught, the four men will face burglary and theft charges, according to the Daphne Police Department.

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DAPHNE, Ala. (WKRG) — News 5 has learned more about four vehicles stolen from a car dealership early Saturday morning.

Four vehicles stolen from Daphne car dealership: Daphne Police

A news release from the Daphne Police Department said Terry Thompson Chevrolet was burglarized and four “dealership-owned vehicles” were taken from the parking lot, which is located off U.S. Highway 98 near Van Avenue.

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Those involved in the theft forced their way into the building through a window and obtained the keys to several vehicles, according to police.

The vehicles, in all, are valued at $290,630. Those vehicles included:

  • 2024 Chevrolet Suburban Z71, gray

  • 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT, white

  • 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD High Country, white

  • 2022 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, black

DPD officers viewed surveillance camera footage taken around 2 a.m., which showed four people wearing masks and dark clothes being dropped off in the area.

One of the vehicle’s GPS trackers showed it traveling north on I-65 northbound near the 12-mile-marker in Prichard after the theft occurred, according to the release.

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Daphne Police said they believe the thieves disabled the GPS system.

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