During the past few weeks there has been a spike in locker thefts from gyms across the Eastside. Recently, Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland and Redmond have all seen similar incidents.

Thieves are getting into lockers by shimming or prying padlocks or combination locks and sifting through personal items to take cash. The lock is often placed back on the locker afterward. Some people don’t even realize they’ve been victimized right away as their phones, wallets and other items are still present.

Several different gym franchises have reported thefts, and gyms are working closely with police in multiple jurisdictions to try to identify suspects. It appears there are multiple groups of suspects working across the eastside. Issaquah, Kirkland and Redmond Police currently have open, active investigations and all agencies are conducting area patrols as able.

Police and Gyms are asking customers to do the following:

Don’t bring valuables to the gym or leave them in your car; leave them at home if possible.

If your gym provides theft-resistant day lockers, take advantage of them. Use puck-style locks if possible as they are harder to defeat.

Report all suspicious activity to staff or by calling 911 – or both.