CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — While it may be common to change one or two tires at a time, one Corpus Christi man had his work cut out for him over the weekend..
Jeff Nelson, owner of a blue Chevy pickup, walked out of the Century 16 movie theater at around 1:30 p.m. Saturday to see his truck tires -- all four of them -- had been stolen.
"I walked out at 1:30 p.m. with my kids, and I saw my truck from afar," Nelson said. "I was kind of confused because I saw it sitting kind of sideways."
He said many thoughts ran through his mind at first glance, but as he got closer to his truck, he realized what happened.
"I finally walked up to it and realized all my tires and rims were gone," Nelson said.
He said all that was left was his tireless vehicle, a brick used to prop up the rear end of his truck, and a jack holding up the front.
Nelson said the theft was a tough pill to swallow due to the price point of the items. The tires and rims that were stolen are estimated to cost around $5,000, with Nelson having to pay an additional $500 to to get replacements just so his truck could get towed.
Since the truck was resting on its left axle for a prolonged period, Nelson said his truck suffered additional damage.
Nelson said there were no cameras in the front parking lot of Century 16 theater where the theft occurred, but there was a witness.
"The car that was parked behind me saw someone load up the last tire into a white minivan," Nelson said. "And they're the ones who called the police, which was about 45 minutes before I got there."
Luckily, Nelson said there was an officer on duty at the theater who stayed with him until he could file a report.
Nelson said he did have locking lug nuts, but that didn't stop the thieves.
"It's a shame there are people out there doing this kind of stuff," Nelson said. "I never thought it would happen to me, but it could happen to anybody."
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