AUSTIN, Texas — Cellphone thefts are being reported in Downtown Austin as South by Southwest continues this week.
"I immediately started panicking because it's not really like me to misplace both my cellphone and wallet," said Jamie Graeff.
Graeff went out to West Sixth Street for a night on the town, and by the end of the night was quickly panicked. Her cellphone and wallet were stolen right from her crossbody bag.
When Graeff went to the bar the next day to see if her wallet showed up in lost and found, she learned she wasn't the only victim that night
"I was talking to the bartender and he told me that over 50 phones had been reported, lost or stolen. He got word that there was a group of guys going around pickpocketing people," said Graeff.
Just a few blocks down the street in the Warehouse District, bar owner Brian said he doesn't see that problem as much on West Fourth.
"At the end of every week, I feel like we have more phones than people claiming. So we hang on to them as long as they stay alive and then try to get them back to their respective owners," said Brian.
But theft isn't the only concern in Downtown Austin. Announced this week, the Travis County District Attorney's Office and Austin Police Department are working together on a joint partnership to crack down on illegal narcotic sales.
Two weeks ago, Austin-Travis County EMS reported at least 12 people overdosed in a 48-period; two people died.
Moving forward, Graeff said she's a little hesitant to go out.
"I think having a lot of people in the city right now is the cause of it because I've never had an issue with this before. I've been out to Rainey Street, Sixth Street and The Domain and I've never had anything like this happen."
KVUE reached out to APD and the Travis County District Attorney's Office for comment on their partnership.
The Travis County district attorney said when more information regarding its investigation in illegal narcotic sales is available, it will inform the public. As for thefts, it's recommend to keep valuables close by, out of sight and zipped up as SXSW concludes.
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