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A spike in unlocked car break-ins has Marietta residents on edge

Police have arrested five people in connection to the crimes.

MARIETTA, Ga. — It's a crime warning in Cobb County - police are seeing a spike in thieves targeting unlocked cars in Marietta.

"Just the whole idea that somebody’s going up and down the streets breaking into cars – it’s just disturbing," said Becky Adams. Adams told 11Alive's Elwyn Lopez she's lived in the neighborhood for 36 years.

"I always felt safe, it’s a great community and I’m really concerned,” she said.

But police say the robbers are targeting unlocked cars there. 

“They are going for unlocked vehicles exclusively, so the overnight group that we are talking about are going after vehicles we’ve left unlocked," Major Steve Kucynda told residents during a community town hall meeting at McEachern United Methodist Church in Powder Springs.

RELATED: Police: Seven cars vandalized in Alpharetta restaurant parking lots

Even more serious, though - some of cars had weapons inside them.

“We’ve probably had approximately 30 guns stolen from cars," Kucynda said during the meeting, adding that on two occasions, the robbers started shooting at homeowners while trying to get away.  

"They shot at either people that were coming out to confront them or to follow them in the neighborhood to, you know, help the police or to confront them to get their stuff back," Kucynda said.

Police said they recently arrested five people in connection to the spike in car break-ins. Despite that, police are giving residents an important piece of advise: "Calling 911, locking your cars." 

And most importantly, "securing your guns in your cars," Kucynda said. 

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