The gun, iPhone, camera, wedding ring — all gone.

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Pete Zotos had just gotten home from work. A busy restaurateur, he owns and operates St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin in Deep Ellum. It was late and he headed inside for some much-needed sleep.

The next morning, he discovered a crook had broken into his car and made off with his leather briefcase containing his digital camera, iPhone and charger, his wedding ring and other jewelry, cash and a .45-caliber pistol — all valued at several thousand dollars.

“It’s just that I’m always careful, and one night I left my bag in my car,” Zotos says.

“Man, I wish I had gotten them,” he says, referring to defending his home and property. “My advice is if you don’t want anything gone, don’t leave it in your car.”

Lt. Gloria Perez with the Dallas Police Northeast Patrol Division agrees with Zotos.

“Residents should always lock their cars at all times, and remove or hide any belongings that might be attractive to somebody walking by who could take items that are very visible inside their car,” she says.

“I always advise that the car should be cleared of all items, including magazines (they may have the resident’s home address printed on the magazine), newspapers, mail, etc.”

As for firearms, Perez says serial numbers and any information about the gun can be a big help to police in trying to return it.

“The owners of firearms should always keep a record of all serial numbers, make, caliber, and model pertaining to each weapon,” she says.

“A simple document with this information can be stored where you keep important papers, such as birth certificates, etcetera. There is a system that a firearm will be on hold until the Dallas Police Department Pawn Detail Detectives go by and check serial numbers for stolen firearms before they can be processed.”