The police recovered the stolen RAV4 both times, but the incident points to a troubling lack of security that needs to be addressed
- A Toyota RAV4 was stolen from inside an Atlanta dealership two times in 24 hours.
- Security footage shows the suspect roaming the service area before stealing the SUV.
- The dealership is already under investigation after multiple customer complaints.
When you leave your car at a service station, you expect it to be serviced or repaired, not swiped off the lot. But for one unfortunate RAV4 owner from Atlanta, that’s exactly what happened, not once, but twice at the same Toyota dealership.
Eula Archie, a longtime customer of Stone Mountain Toyota in Georgia with four cars already purchased from the dealership, recently brought in her RAV4 to fix a persistent battery drainage problem. The next day, she got a call from the police. To her shock, they informed her that her SUV had been found abandoned on Stone Mountain Parkway, right by the Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary.
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It didn’t take long for investigators to uncover how the RAV4 was stolen. CCTV footage showed an unidentified man, sporting a disposable mask, swiping the vehicle from the service area. Apparently, this wasn’t his first attempt.
He was also caught on camera prowling through other unlocked vehicles on the lot. It turns out he had slipped into the building through an unlocked door, helped himself to a snack from the employee break room, and then found the keys to Eula’s RAV4. No alarms, no red flags, he just took off with the car.
Second Theft
Although the SUV was recovered (undamaged, thankfully) and towed back to the dealership by the police, this wouldn’t be the last time Eula’s RAV4 would go on an uninvited adventure. The very next day, the same thief returned, still with the keys in hand, and made off with the SUV again.
The police once again located it after it was abandoned, and Eula received yet another call. She was understandably stunned. “I just couldn’t believe it. I still think I’m dreaming. Those people let someone come on the lot and take it twice,” she said. And to top it off, the dealership didn’t offer any explanation or apology for the chaos.
A Gwinnett County police officer who commented on the situation said, “I’ve had vehicles get stolen, but I’ve never seen this much incompetence.”
The Mystery of the Thief’s Taste
The RAV4 in question was a facelifted fourth-gen model, sold between 2016 and 2018. Speaking with Atlanta News First, Eula expressed her disbelief that her SUV was targeted over all the shiny new cars on the lot. “Out of all those brand-new, beautiful cars on the lot, somebody was after mine. Why? I don’t understand.”
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Honestly, it’s a fair question. But if you zoom out and take a look at the dealership’s service area, it does make you wonder about the thief’s taste in cars. For example, right next to Eula’s RAV4, a Toyota GR Supra sat on the lot. So, what’s the deal? Maybe he was in the market for a less flashy, more easily overlooked ride. Or maybe he just couldn’t find the keys to the Supra. Either way, the lack of security at the dealership was glaringly obvious.
Atlanta News First uncovered that Stone Mountain Toyota is already under investigation, with the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receiving 20 complaints about the dealership over the past two years. When reporters reached out for comment, the dealership’s manager refused to speak on either Eula’s case or the ongoing investigation.
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