DALLAS — Families in an Oak Cliff neighborhood are high alert after a group of suspected burglars tried breaking into a home.
Surveillance video the homeowners shared on social media sites shows a group of unidentified men lurking around a family’s house on Fernwood Avenue on Dec. 16.
Dallas police said at least two of the suspects had guns.
"These guys are still out there, and they're terrorizing the neighborhood," said the homeowner, who asked not to be identified.
Police said at least four suspects were involved in the incident. Three of the armed men entered the backyard. One waited by the gate, as the others used a crowbar to try breaking into the house.
"I was shocked to see such activity in daytime," said Dallas City Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold. She represents District 4.
The attempted burglary is the type of neighborhood crime Arnold has been trying to address. She’s been pushing a public safety initiative called "Dallas 365 Safe." The program urges neighbors to be vigilant and proactive in reporting issues like criminal activity to police.
“The bottom line is we must take back our communities. And the only way we can take back and make those individuals who are so comfortable invading our privacy is to work together to report them,” said Arnold.
For now, investigators are looking into the incident as a case of criminal mischief, since they say the group didn’t get inside the home.
"We just, kind of, wanted to make everybody aware that hey these guys are out there, they're armed, and to be careful," said the homeowner.
Neighbors are urging anyone with information about the group in the video to call the Dallas Police Department.
