Police say brazen Lower Valley auto thief has been caught

EL PASO, Texas -- A group of car dealers on Alameda Avenue in El Paso's Lower Valley are hoping their nightmare is finally over after police say they captured the man who went on a brazen crime spree, stealing as many as 10 cars off of multiple sales lots in a two-week span.

The accused thief, whose identity has not been disclosed by police, was arrested Wednesday based on surveillance video of one of the car thefts.

But the remaining problem is that most of those stolen cars, worth tens of thousands of dollars, are still missing; only three have been recovered.

"I've been in business for eleven years. I work everyday, six days a week. I work hard for the money, nobody has given me the money. And for him to come in here, I feel violated, him coming into my property and stealing a car that is my family's money," said theft victim Gilberto Munoz, owner of Best Deal Auto Group and vice president of the Used Car Dealer's Association.

Munoz said police told him the thief is holding out and is unwilling to tell them where the rest of the pilfered cars can be found. As a result, he is offering a $1,000 reward to try and recover the stolen vehicles.

In addition, Munoz said he and the other neighboring auto dealers are changing the security protocols on their lots in an effort to try and prevent similar thefts in the future.