DI apartment complex hit by rash of car break-ins; 2 guns stolen

The holiday weekend in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day ended badly for more than two dozen residents victimized by a rash of car break-ins and a car theft during the early morning hours of Jan. 17 on Daniel Island. 

 

At approximately 3 a.m., the Wharf 7 Apartments garage at 515 Robert Daniel Drive became a crime scene after 23 vehicles were broken into and windows were shattered. 

 

Surveillance footage showed a cop car patrolling the area at 3:03 a.m. Ten minutes later three individuals with window punch devices struck, according to Charleston P.D. Team 5 Commander Matt Wojslawowicz. 

 

“These people were shopping for guns,” Wojslawowicz said. “They left cash, credit cards and other valuables and were strictly looking for guns.”

 

Charleston P.D.’s incident report noted that two firearms were stolen from two vehicles – a Springfield XDS valued at $700 and a Glock 48 valued at $400. The remaining vehicles did not have items removed and no car alarm signals were activated, according to Wojslawowicz. 

 

“Today I woke up again to shattered glass in my personal car, I just think this is getting out of control… I’m feeling super unsafe,” a Wharf 7 Apartments resident posted on a Facebook forum. 

 

Just down the road on Cattle Ranch Street near the Beresford Creek golf course at the Daniel Island Club, two more cars were broken into and one car was stolen. The car was recovered later that morning on Ladson Road in Dorchester County, according to Wojslawowicz.

 

Security cameras on the entrance ramps to Daniel Island show that the individuals likely came from the North Charleston area, according to Wojslawowicz. He noted that the interstate exchange makes the island an easy target for smash-and-grab type incidents. 

 

Currently, there are no cameras leaving the island. Cameras on the exit ramps have been approved by the city and financed by the Daniel Island Community Fund and are expected to be installed sometime this spring.

 

Team 5 is working with vehicle owners and homeowners to piece together video footage, as the apartment complex does not offer surveillance in the garage area. Wharf 7 Apartments property management did not respond to a request for comment. 

 

“We could probably have as close to a zero crime rate as possible here on Daniel Island if people would simply lock their cars,” Wojslawowicz said. “The majority of our motor vehicle thefts had keys left in the console, keys left in the glove box and doors left open.”

 

Thirty-eight vehicles were broken into in 2022, according to Wojslawowicz. Team 5 canvasses approximately 42 square miles between Daniel Island and the Greater Cainhoy Peninsula, which comprises just under 30 percent of the City of Charleston. 

 

Police processed all of the vehicles and obtained fingerprints. The case is under investigation.

 

Elizabeth Horton contributed to this report.