Police arrest teen accused of breaking into cars near downtown Louisville hospitals

Police said two guns were recovered from the teen, and are encouraging gun owners to take precautions to avoid having their firearm stolen from their vehicle.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Police arrested a teenager Thursday accused of breaking into cars near the downtown Louisville hospitals.

Louisville Metro Police said detectives worked with UofL Police and healthcare security teams to arrest the 17-year-old.

According to police, the teen was seen breaking into vehicles in the area of South Hancock and East Madison streets over the last several weeks.

LMPD said detectives recovered two guns from the teen. Investigators don't believe he acted alone and said work on the case is ongoing.

Since the teen is underage, he or she won't be identified.

Car break-ins in the parking garages of Louisville hospitals, police said, have been a major issue downtown for the last few years.

To prevent gun thefts from vehicles, police said gun owners who choose to leave their firearm in their vehicle should use a lock box or vehicle gun safe secured to the vehicle, keep firearms out of sight, lock the vehicle, avoid leaving firearms in vehicles overnight and report suspicious activity.