CLEVELAND — Dylan Winchel had a great time at the Masonic Temple in Cleveland Sunday night at the Megadeth Concert. But his night changed once the music stopped.
“As I was walking back, I just saw a ton of cars with busted out rear windows, mine was in there,” said Winchel.
The Cleveland State University senior said the parking lots around the venue were filled. He parked a short distance away on Prospect Avenue along with a lot of other concert-goers.
Sometime during the concert, he said thieves smashed his car window. They stole a bag filled with items, including his glasses, inhaler, medication and a necklace his grandfather gave him that has special meaning.
“Even though he’s still around I’ve had that necklace since I was in like 8th grade,” he explained.
Winchel said he saw a line of cars that all had rear windows smashed.
“I called 911 and literally while I was on the phone with the dispatcher people in the car next to me and people in the car behind me were already on the phone, and they said 'don’t even bother they’re not coming out for at least two hours,'” explained Winchel.
Cleveland Police Public Information Officer Freddie Diaz said there are three ways to file a police report: wait for an officer to arrive, but times can vary depending on the type of crime, some crime reports can be filed online or “we do refer folks to the district if there’s no life-threatening situation where the person can drive their vehicle to the district,” said Diaz.
News5 reached out to TempleLive; Rob Thomas said in a statement, “At TempleLive, we prioritize the safety and experience of our patrons. We have onsite security in the parking lot adjacent to our building throughout the performance and at the children’s museum, where we have a shared parking agreement. Unfortunately, we are unable to police public streets. However, we encourage all patrons to park in our secured lots, take precautions while parking, and, as always, report any suspicious activity in the area. Safety is important to us, and this is certainly an unfortunate incident, but again, one that is beyond our control. Patrons can contact our box office with questions about where to park for upcoming concerts at TempleLive.”
It’s not the first time cars were targeted in the same general area; just last week, a man inside a building on Perkins Avenue captured video of juveniles busting car windows, rummaging through vehicles and taking what wasn’t theirs. They even taunted the man taking the video. According to Cleveland Police, those four juveniles were arrested after a short police pursuit. Officers found the juveniles with three guns. Police said that group had been linked to dozens of vehicle break-ins before their arrest.
Meantime, Winchel is left to pick up the pieces. He’s dealing with insurance again. “I’ve been really soured on Cleveland, “ he said.
This isn’t the first time he’s been the victim of a crime. He said that just before Christmas last year, he was robbed at gunpoint of his car, Christmas gifts and sense of security.
“Growing up in Lorain, going to Cleveland was like this special event with my family,” explained Winchel. “Now that I lived here, I told my friends, I can’t wait to get out of here if I’m being honest. I don’t want to be here anymore,” he said.
Cleveland Police are asking that anyone with information about the rash of vehicle break-ins contact the police department at 216-621-1234.
