ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, January 24, 1997               TAG: 9701240088
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: B-3  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH

60 AIR BAGS STOLEN FROM DEALER'S CARS

Thieves broke into 32 cars at a dealership and stole 60 air bags valued at $60,000, police said.

Police think professional car-parts thieves, who can sell the air bags on the black market, are to blame.

In some cases, the thieves bypassed car security alarms when they broke into the cars Tuesday night at Mega Mazda, Virginia Beach police spokesman Mike Carey said.

No car windows were broken. Instead, the thieves broke in through the door latches and neatly carved out the air bags.

A new air bag that sells for $400 to $1,200 costs $50 to $200 on the black market, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

- Associated Press

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