ATLANTA — Several individuals have shown up to their storage units at Extra Space Storage in Northwest Atlanta to find their units ransacked and many of their belongings missing.
Atlanta Police said officers responded to the facility on Bishop Street recently for several burglaries. The break-ins happened towards the end of April and the first week of May.
Police have released pictures and video taken from the surveillance system inside the building. The men can be seen using the elevator and then loading the stolen items into a black BMW SUV.
One of their victims, Adam Horne, reached out to 11Alive looking for help in possibly getting some of his things back including thousands of dollars in DJ equipment and his collection of Jordan tennis shoes.
"This is affecting my business; I worked hard. This is affecting my business," Horne explained.
He's better known around the city as DJ Blak Magic, a celebrity DJ who has spent years purchasing his equipment.
"I've been doing this for over 15 years," he said.
Horne added, "Man equipment is expensive, like one turn table costs about $2000, the speakers are about $2000 as well."
Horne said he had no idea his unit was burglarized until he showed up before a gig to pick up his equipment.
When he showed up, he noticed a lock on his storage unit, but it wasn't his lock.
"I went to the front desk. That conversation was just, oh, we just noticed there wasn't a lock on there, and we put it on there," Horne said.
However, he asked, "If you put the lock on there, why wasn't I notified?"
He said they really had no answer for him, and he has yet to receive a response from the company.
On Wednesday, Horne met us at the storage facility, where he pointed out that the doors at both loading bays were propped open. He said anyone off the street could walk through the doors and have immediate access to the storage units.
He said online, they advertise, "We offer secure, clean properties and simple, helpful service."
"If you look on both sides, both doors are open right now. "That's not secure," Horne said.
While an 11Alive photojournalist was filming across the street, a storage facility employee walked out and closed the door at the loading bay.
Horne said every time he's showed up to the facility, the doors have been open, and a 'code' was not needed as it's supposed to be required for security reasons.
He said he believes the thieves were able to walk right into the building, where Atlanta Police said they used a power drill to access the storage units.
"Everything that I own of value was taken from this property, and no one is trying to be responsible for anything," Horne explained.
11Alive reached the storage facility and was told to call another number for a statement. They responded on Thursday afternoon with the following statement:
Security is a top priority for Extra Space Storage. We are in the process of evaluating our security systems to improve security at this site, as well as repairing the damage that the break-in caused to our property. We have added additional security measures since the break-ins and have focused extra attention on this site to make sure that we are taking care of our customers and their safety.
Storage facility thieves captured on camera | Photos
Anyone with information on this case can anonymously submit a tip to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at (404) 577-TIPS (8477), online at www.StopCrimeAtl.org, or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637). Persons do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.