NEW SYMRNA BEACH, Fla. – Multiple unlocked vehicles, including three cars, were targeted by thieves in an upscale New Smyrna Beach neighborhood early Monday morning, with one theft involving a firearm, police said.

The thefts occurred in the Palms at Venetian Bay, a golf course community known for its typically quiet atmosphere. Among the stolen items was a gun that had been left in an unlocked vehicle overnight.

“I was nervous because it’s a quiet neighborhood and you never think it’s going to happen to your neighborhood,” resident Dolores Gabral said. “But they come from somewhere, and usually they target the quiet neighborhoods.”

The New Smyrna Beach Police Department emphasized that all of the targeted vehicles had been left unlocked, making them easy targets for criminals.

“I’ve

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