Chilliwack property crime spree captured in YouTube videos
Frustrated residents say calling 911 has done nothing to stop thieves
A couple from Chilliwack, B.C. is so fed up with property crime in their neighbourhood that they're taking some extreme measures to protect themselves, including posting surveillance video of more than a dozen incidents online.
Rob and Nicole Iezzi have eight surveillance cameras they say have captured the same masked man in their yard at least half a dozen times.
They claim the thief was stealing everything from tools to cigarette butts until they finally caught him red handed.
"We lit him up with our paintball guns. It's very embarrassing, but that's what we did."
The Iezzis have also recorded footage of vandals, thieves and a brutal beating near their home not far from downtown.
They've caught so much of it on video they started posting clips from the surveillance cameras on their YouTube page and on a Facebook page used by Chilliwack residents to warn each other about property crime.
911 calls get no results
Rob Iezzi says whenever they call the police, the same thing happens — the thief gets away, the officers show up and nothing comes of it. So he says he doesn't bother calling 911 anymore.
But Chilliwack RCMP Cst. Tracy Wolbeck says they take property crime seriously.
"We look at certain areas in Chilliwack that are high target areas in Chilliwack for property crime. We direct our resources to those areas to try to eliminate and certainly reduce those crimes," she says.
Wolbeck says if residents catch someone in the act of breaking into their home or car, it's never a good idea to confront them, because there's a good chance the thief has been drinking or is on drugs, and there's no way of knowing if they have a weapon on them
Instead she advises calling 911.
But the Iezzis aren't satisfied, and say they'll do whatever is necessary to protect themselves.
With files from Jesse Johnston