For the second time in a week, a luxury car was stolen from valet parking at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Northwest D.C.
The restaurant in busy downtown Washington uses a valet service that stores key fobs in a lockbox, and for the second time in a week, thieves targeted that lockbox. The valet said they used a tool to break into it, taking the key fobs to four cars, including a BMW sedan that was stolen.
The man whose BMW was stolen said he was sitting at the bar watching a football game when he noticed a commotion on 21st Street and saw the valet getting assaulted. It took him a moment before he realized it was his car they were taking.
The valet said he took a punch but is doing OK.
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On Christmas Day, two cars were stolen, police said. One of them has since been found.
“The vehicle that was recovered was actually recovered a short time later over in our 6th District, and unfortunately it had been set on fire,” D.C. Police Capt. Jeffrey Kopp said.
The key fobs usually have a logo telling the thieves what kind of car to look for, police said.
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“It’s easy to determine from the key fobs that are in there that some of these cars are Mercedes, BMW, those are the vehicles that were stolen, and it looks like it was probably just a crime of opportunity,” Kopp said.
"We're very concerned,” a Ruth’s Chris spokesman said in a statement. “This hasn’t been an issue in the past, and we are committed to ensuring this isn’t something guests have to contend with in the future. We're working very quickly with our third-party valet provider to redouble our security efforts, and all options are on the table."
Experts say drivers should ask the valet where they are going to park the car because parking in a garage will make it more difficult for someone to steal it.
Following the first theft, News4 reached out to Crystal Parking, which operates the valet service at the steak house. At that time, a representative said the company is cooperating with police, providing insurance information to the victims and working on beefing up its security protocols. News4 reached out to Crystal Parking again Monday and is waiting for an update.
