HOUSTON — It's a bizarre crime, caught on camera -- a tree bandit who neighbors say has been ripping trees right out of the ground on the near northside. It's a theft that neighbors say is a bit shady.
"Just stop stealing trees," said homeowner Kelly Kindred.
It's a simple request, Kindred and neighbor Olivia Topete hopes this tree bandit follows.
"You're mad because it's your stuff, but then there's a part of you that's like, 'Oh my gosh, this is completely absurd,'" Kindred said.
The pair hasn't lived there long, but the neighbors developed a friendship and are keeping watch for each other.
"My husband texted me and was like somebody just stole our tree," Kindred said.
Surveillance videos shared with KHOU 11 shows the man bending and shaking the tree trying to pry it out of the ground. Another video shows the same man using a pickaxe to try and dig up another tree.
"Like who does that. And why?" Kindred said. "Is there a little gardener gang running around? Is there a black market that I don't know about?"
The unusual crime spree happened over several days. A neighbor around the corner is missing a tree, along with others around the area.
The neighbors group text alerted Topete about another theft in progress and after a string of problems at her own home, she's had enough.
"I ran outside, and our other next door neighbor was like, 'He went that way,'" Topete said. "So I took off after him."
She admits it wasn't the best idea, but she did catch up with him a few blocks away.
"He had put the tree in a grocery cart and then he hid behind another tree," she said.
She says he ran off, leaving the tree behind, so she could bring it back to where it belongs.
Some of the people I spoke to decided not to file a police report, only wanting to share what's happening, and to highlight the importance of neighbors helping neighbors.