



BELLEVUE, WA - Police say thieves are taking advantage of people using gyms and fitness centers by breaking into lockers and stealing their belongings.



For ten months, Bellevue Police say 33-year-old Joseph Gill and 30-year-old D’Mario Mallory targeted gyms in the area.



“They pretend like they’re going into work out they wait for the locker room to be clear and then they break into the lockers,” said Major John McCracken with Bellevue Police.



Police say Gill and Mallory went into gyms without security systems. The two would check in at the front desk, then go into the locker rooms and started cutting locks open with bolt cutters, Police said.



Bellevue Police says Gill and Mallory stole credit cards and cash, and then used the stolen money to buy gift cards.



Police say Gill and Mallory are charged with three counts of identity theft and are in King County Jail. Even so, police say similar crimes continue to happen.



Police do not recommend leaving your belongings in your car, because of car prowlers. Instead they suggest leaving valuables at home when you go work out or investing in heavy duty locks that are not able to be cut.



“I do know the more money you spend on a lock and the harder it will be to cut that lock and maybe there will an opportunity to select a different lock that’s easier to break into if you have a nicer lock on your locker,” said McCracken.