In the early hours of July 17, Dutch Knudson, owner of local smoke shop Session Supply, woke up to an alarm blaring, informing him that there had been a break-in at his store.

Around 4:30 a.m., seven people used a stolen Kia to crash into the storefront of the store, going in to steal $4,000 worth of vapes, nicotine juice, kratom, glass and pipes.

While law enforcement has yet to apprehend the suspects, the surveillance video leads police to believe these are “youthful offenders,” according to Colorado Springs Police Department public information officer Caitlin Ford.

After gathering the loot, the group is seen on video taking off in several getaway cars, leaving behind the stolen Kia and a store that would not be opened again. At the time of the incident, the store had only been in business four months.

“What we probably are going to do is just close this location anyways, and I’m going to turn it into something else at this spot, something that’s less of a target for children to hit,” Knudson said in a previous interview with The Gazette.

Session Supply was Colorado Springs’ most recent victim of what is referred to as a smash-and-grab. Smash-and-grabs are described as a robbery that involves breaking a window or door of a vehicle, home or business through various means, stealing assorted items or merchandise and fleeing the scene quickly.

Colorado Springs has seen a trend of these cases involving stolen Kias, smoke shops and juveniles, the youngest caught being only 12 years old, police said.

Local statistics

According to 2024 smash-and-grab statistics provided by CSPD, there was one in both January and February, eight in March, four in both May and June and 6 in July.

Of the 10 smash-and-grabs since May 1, seven of the stores either primarily sold nicotine products or carried them in some capacity.

Police state the spike of eight robberies in March is related largely to a specific group of juveniles who committed five of the month’s smash-and-grabs over the course of two nights. Several of these juveniles were later caught and arrested, according to police.

In several of the stores that were hit, primarily vaping products were stolen, according to store owners and law enforcement.

Police spokesperson Ford stopped short of saying that a craving for nicotine was a motive in these crimes, but said “it definitely would appear that way.”

“I obviously can’t say exactly what their motive is,” Ford said, “But it would appear that that’s what they’re trying to get at based on (the evidence.)”

While a majority of the smash-and-grabs that are reported in Colorado Springs seem to target smoke shops, the two most recent incidents focused on gun shops. On Wednesday around 4 a.m., a group of suspects, not appearing to be juveniles police say, drove a stolen vehicle into two separate gun stores and were able to steal “multiple guns” from at least one of the establishments.

Ron Rogers, owner of Spruce Defense, one of the stores that was hit, confirmed that the vehicle used was a Kia, and the suspects left it behind during their getaway.

According to local law enforcement, nearly every smash-and-grab so far in 2024 used a stolen car to gain access into the business.

Motor vehicle theft has been a dark spot in the Springs. Police say the number of vehicle thefts has increased by nearly 40% since 2019. November 2023 still holds the record for most reported thefts in a month at 539. After that month, a slight decline was reported due to the arrest of several active and repeat offenders, including several prolific juvenile “Kia Boyz,” police said.

According to 2023 Colorado Springs statistics, the most common age group for motor vehicle theft offenders was 18-24, followed by 25- to 34-year-olds, then the 35-44 age group, followed by 10- 17-year-olds.

Recently, the Denver Police Department released the 10 most commonly stolen cars in Denver. Of the 10 vehicles on the list, six were either a Hyundai or Kia of varying models.

According to Denver Police Department, since January, the department has seen 17 cases of smash-and-grabs. This includes vehicles ramming into storefronts and vehicles being used to pull a door/doorframe out of place with a chain.

Pueblo hasn’t reported a smash-and-grab case this year, police there said, while there have been 24 smash-and-grabs in Colorado Springs since Jan. 1.

Prosecution

According to CSPD public information officer Ira Cronin, suspects of smash-and-grabs, if caught, are typically charged with second-degree burglary. Depending on what is stolen, such as weapons from a gun store, suspects could also see first-degree burglary charges. Additionally, depending on the amount of merchandise stolen and the damage done to the building itself, a criminal mischief charge could be added.

Looking at juvenile burglar suspects specifically, according to the El Paso County’s 4th Judicial District there were a total of 55 unique juvenile delinquency cases filed in 2023 that included at least one charge of second-degree burglary.

With smash-and-grabs in Colorado Springs specifically, it is hard for police to say exactly how many of these cases involve juveniles, because not all offenders have been identified. However, Ford said, based on information gathering during investigations and input from the Strategic Information Center, “a majority of these burglaries involve youthful offenders.”

When juveniles are caught and arrested under a specific charge, law enforcement then goes through what is called a “screener” to determine the level of crime and the flight risk associated, according to law enforcement. Currently, Colorado has about 250 beds for juveniles in its Youthful Offender System with only 24 of those beds in El Paso County.

Often, these beds are already full, and the courts, through the screener process, determine whether it is worth releasing someone from custody to allow for another to take their place.

Ford says this does not typically happen with burglary and property crimes, as typically, the more violent offenders are kept in custody instead.

“So what we do is a serve and release, which means we serve them their court summons, we take them back home and we say ‘please stop doing this,’” Ford said. “Pretty much every time they go right back doing whatever they’re doing.”

While juveniles may appear to get the equivalent of a slap on the wrist, smash-and-grabs can leave those 18 and older with a long list of felonies.

One example of this can be seen from several June smash-and-grabs, where a 12-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested in what authorities called a “juvenile crime spree.”

The 18-year-old, Victor Parada Jr., is now facing over 20 charges for his alleged involvement in the spree. His charges include criminal mischief, vehicle theft, trespassing and contributing to a delinquency.

Motor vehicle theft is not solely tied to burglary and property crime, as law enforcement has seen the ties with more violent offenses. Just in June, 27 guns were stolen out of vehicles, creating a public safety risk.

“Those guns are often used in other violent crimes,” Ford said. “So because somebody left their gun in their car, they directly enabled violent crime in their community.”

Why Kias and Hyundais?

Hyundais and Kias became easy targets for criminals due to manufacturer error. Several models built between 2011 and 2021 do not have immobilizers built in to prevent them from being started without a key. A quick TikTok or Instagram search of “Kia Boyz” will yield plenty of videos talking about and even showing real-life cases related to the epidemic of car theft.

CSPD says the “Kia Boyz” phenomenon began around October 2022 and hit Colorado Springs in the following months.

“It’s a really, really loose term for an organized group of people; they’re not necessarily all together and they are very much a nationwide thing,” Ford said. “What has led to the popularity of Kias specifically being targeted is the social media sites and how quickly information can be shared about how to steal these types of cars.”

According to law enforcement, roughly three or four small groups of juveniles are committing these types of crime in the city. Some individuals may be a part of multiple groups.

“They absolutely are repeat offenders,” Ford said. “Every once in a while, there are new players but, for the most part, we know who it is, and it’s just the same people over and over and over again.”

Kias and Hyundais accounts for an average of 62% of all vehicle thefts and attempted thefts so far in 2024 within Colorado Springs, according to Ford. She says that if those thefts were removed from the equation, the city would see a significant decline in motor vehicle theft.

Major insurance companies like State Farm and Progressive announced in 2023 that they would no longer be covering various Kia and Hyundai models manufactured between 2015 and 2019 due to the thefts.

The increase in thefts have led some to sue the car companies for not doing enough to prevent their vehicles from being stolen.

RPRZNT Smoke Shop is one of the Colorado Springs summer victims of a smash-and-grab. Owner Tyler Pomeroy woke up in the early hours of May 29 to an alert from his store’s security system, informing him there was a major break-in. The store had only been open four months at this point.

“We’re going to hold Kia responsible, because they’re not taking any measures to protect the business, the consumer or the people that are suffering because of this,” Pomeroy said about joining the lawsuit against the car manufacturer. “It’s almost like its an accessory now; this is exactly what their company has become.”

Search for solutions

Data from Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Dashboard shows that in 2019, roughly 45.9% of high school students tried a vapor nicotine device at least once. The 2023 survey saw that number dip to 30%.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, data suggests multiple factors in why that number has decreased significantly, such as legislation that has restricted the marketing and sale of vape products to juveniles, including the 2019 federal law that changed the minimum age to 21.

Pomeroy with RPRZNT believes the increase in smash and grabs targeting vape shops is tied to the 2019 law.

“It’s just a huge factor in these break-ins,” Pomeroy said. “It’s not these high-profile criminals that are doing this.”

Looking into the future, RPRZNT will make some changes in an attempt to protect themselves against another incident, including hiring a full-time security officer and installing a concrete barrier in front of the door.

“This crime pattern is a persisting public safety problem, and it will take a community effort to solve,” CSPD Sgt. Reuben Crews said. “While the investigation of these crimes is certainly the responsibility of the Police Department, addressing the underlying causes of these crimes and preventing future crimes of this nature will require a coordinated police effort in partnership with our citizens.”