4 CARS QUIETLY STRIPPED BY THIEVES AS OWNERS SLEEP.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

A team of thieves believed to be part of a crime ring operating in the San Fernando Valley broke into three cars early Friday in Northridge and stole air bags worth up to $2,000 each, police said.

Thieves broke into a 2003 Infiniti G35 parked in the Celtic Street driveway of Tommmy Upshaw of Northridge. They took front and side air bags, a Bose stereo system and speakers, both side-view mirrors, and part of the engine's cooling system. The center console is gone, and the gearshift and dashboard were taken out. The thieves tried to get the battery, but they couldn't get around its casing.

``It's kinda scary because you've got people in your driveway taking stuff off your car,'' Upshaw said. ``What if you come out of the house? Somebody's going to be shooting at you, or whatever. That's kinda scary.''

Police had no suspects but surmise that an unscrupulous body shop in the area might be hiring thieves to steal parts to order. Los Angeles Police Department Detective Bob Graybill, who heads the Valley Bureau Community Effort to Combat Auto Theft unit, said he will assign a team to track down the parts at body shops in the Valley.

Police also will comb through criminal files of known chronic car thieves.

The thieves also broke into other three cars early Friday near Celtic Street and stripped a fourth car about a half mile away, Graybill said. They made off with air bags, seat belts, a radiator and engine parts. In one case, thieves took a front floor mat, which Graybill said might indicate that a body shop is making repairs to cars damaged in front-end collisions.

Police have been seeing similar cases in Van Nuys, Pacoima and across the Valley over the past year.

``They usually hit three places close together, then we don't see anything for a month, then they hit a different area next time,'' said Detective Diane Anderson, overseeing auto thefts at the LAPD's Devonshire Division. ``It's consistent enough that we know it happens, but it's not consistent enough to put my finger on it and figure out where they're going to be next.''

Graybill said police are hampered by wily thieves who've learned how to evade capture, break into cars quick and silently ``take anything apart in seconds.''

``This is easy money.''

Car thieves are not usually violent, but Graybill cautioned against confronting them.

``A majority of them, all they want to do is get parts. They're opportunists. They get in there, find a part, take it and sell it for as much money as they can get for it.''

Anyone with information is asked to call Graybill at [phone].

Jason Kandel, [phone]

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Tommy Upshaw surveys the thousands of dollars of damage done to his year-old Infinity G35 after thieves stripped the air bags, computer, radio and other valuable parts from his car and his neighbors' vehicles.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer