Lovleen Singh just wanted to go home after a long day at work at West Edmonton Mall, but arrived at her car in the parkade and realized it was going nowhere anytime soon — because her wheels were gone.
“I was in shock. I look at my tire and I just couldn’t believe it,” the Edmonton woman said.
Her Honda Civic was in the spot where she parked it, but her four brand-new Bridgestone winter tires on Honda alloy rims were gone.
“They’re pretty expensive,” Singh said of the rims. “I think they’re like $500 a pop and the Bridgestones, I spent a lot of money on.”
The vehicle was left perched precariously on a mix of mismatched, old wheels. On the front driver side was a tire without a rim, causing the car to slope towards the ground.
“I freaked out. I was so shocked and traumatized,” Singh said.
The theft happened sometime on Saturday morning or afternoon while Singh was at work inside. She arrived at the mall in the morning for her 9:45 a.m. shift, and discovered the theft when walking back to her car around 7 p.m.
“I’ve been working here for four years and I’ve never had this happen before,” she said.
“I don’t want it to happen to anybody else.”
Lovleen Singh’s wheels were stolen from her Honda Civic car when it was parked on the west side of the West Edmonton Mall parkade on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
Global News
Unfortunately it is happening to others, according to Michael Bauman, the owner of Mike the Mechanic repair shop on 51st Avenue and 88 Street.
“It’s very common — becoming more and more popular, unfortunately,” he said, explaining from what he understands, many thieves are stealing rims to post for sale on on Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji or other online sale spaces.
“Wheels generally are fairly easy to steal.”
Bauman said thieves are on the lookout for both good rims and tires in new or good condition with a decent amount of tread left.
Beyond the tire theft, the mechanic noted some victims are also left with a damaged vehicle, as thieves aren’t generally concerning themselves with being careful when jacking up their target.
“They don’t have any regard for the state of the vehicle. So they will do by any means necessary to remove the wheels, whether it’s damaging the brake rotors or the suspension or the body.
“They are pretty ruthless on that front and it can lead to a very expensive service.”
Shannon Mellott’s vehicle sits where she parked it, missing all four tires.
Courtesy: Shannon Mellott
One such instance occurred back in November in west Edmonton, where a thief driving a pickup truck used a tow rope to jerk the wheels off a SUV.
That dramatic theft in the Hamptons neighbourhood was caught on security surveillance video.
The truck drove off, off, leaving the vehicle sitting on its rotors in the middle of the residential street.
Bauman said lug nut locks will help deter some thieves looking for an easy target.
“It’ll make their job a little more difficult. It’s not a be-all, end-all by any means. You could easily take them off if you have the right tools, but it’ll definitely deter them for sure,” he said.
Singh thought she’s taken precautions against such thefts by using locking lug nuts on her wheels.
“For some reason this guy was able to have a special key to take my tires off,” she said.
She suspects the thieves were after her rims, but can’t say for certain.
Lovleen Singh’s wheels were stolen from her Honda Civic car when it was parked on the west side of the West Edmonton Mall parkade on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
Global News
Singh said after discovering the theft she went to West Edmonton Mall security, but was told there aren’t any cameras in the part of the parkade she left her car in — the lower level, on the west side of the mall near 178th Street.
“When I did talk to them, they said that the security cameras are not as visible at the lower level, but with two lockdowns and everything that’s gone on, I feel like we should feel safe in the lower level.”
Singh said she was told to park in another area.
“They told me I should be in the upper level where the visibility is much better,” Singh said, adding she feels it shouldn’t matter where someone parks in the over 20,000 parking stalls on all four sides of the mall. “We live in 2025. There should be cameras all around.
“It’s very, very disheartening. West Edmonton Mall, they should have more security cameras for everyone to feel safe.”
Global News reached out to the mall on Tuesday afternoon about Singh’s concerns regarding security in the mall’s parking areas, but had not heard back as of publishing. This story will be updated once a response is received.
Singh is now dealing with her insurance company to replace the wheels, and filed a report with the Edmonton Police Service.
She worries about the theft happening again.
“I should feel more safe and confident that my car will be OK at the end of the day.”