KEWANEE, Ill. — The rash of car break-ins around the Quad City area is impacting several communities.
The latest happened in Kewanee and turned violent after defending personal property.
Kewanee Police said the search is on to catch those responsible, and that's with the help of it being all caught on camera.
"He was still a little shocked," resident David Bishop Jr. said.
That's after police said a handful of cars were the target of thieves early morning Thursday, Sept. 23 in Kewanee.
"When he called 911, he was absolutely astonished at what happened," Kewanee Police detective Rosa Rushing said.
Kewanee Police said the call came in of a man needing help after someone broke into his vehicle just after 4 a.m. along the 800 block of See Street.
"I leave for work early in the morning, so I always see kids out walking around," resident Jason Shafer said.
"It happened so quickly," Rushing said.
Police said the man heard his dog barking and then spotted thieves, who were teenagers, in the act. The homeowner held down one of the teens but then two others ran up and began hitting the victim.
"That's a majority concern that this could have gotten out of hand," Rushing said.
Police believe the suspects started off in another part of town before the fight.
Door bell camera caught the teens in a driveway off of the 1000 block of North East Street an hour earlier.
"My nieces car across town got broken into also," Shafer said.
A neighbor tells News 8 his cars were likely the next target.
"They might of hit my place next but being that he had caught them or caught them in the act, they didn't make it to my house," Bishop said.
Residents are now on high alert and preparing for similar incidents in the future.
"Now, I'm definitely going to get some cameras," Shafer said.
"This is a pretty quiet neighborhood," Bishop said.
Police said these situations are preventable.
"Locking our vehicles is part of the solution," Rushing said.
"Hopefully, they learn their lesson," Bishop said.
Police said the man attacked suffered minor injuries. He was hit on the back of the head with a bag of change and left with some scratches.
The victim described one of the suspects as possibly a white or Hispanic male, 15-18 years old, about 6'0" or 6'1" with a skinny build. The second suspect was described as a Black male, about 15-18 years old, 5'9" to 5'10" with a skinny build. The third suspect was described as white male, around 15-18 years old, about 5'9" to 5'10" with a heavier build.
Kewanee police have increased patrols in the areas where the thieves hit. A car part inside one vehicle was the highest value of stolen property reported.
The public were reminded to lock thier car doors.
Anyone with any additional information was asked to contact the Kewanee Police Department at 309-853-1911 or Henry County Crimestoppers at 309-937-2324.