Thieves caught on camera stealing copper wire in North Texas [Video]

GARLAND, Texas — One video caught a thief almost flipping over a car as he tried desperately to rip down a utility wire.

Another shows a man in a reflective vest, posing as a legitimate worker.

And one picture caught a thief high in the air – on top of the wires working feverishly to steal them.

“This spike has recently occurred in the last several months,” Garland Police Lt. Pedro Barineau said. “Prior to this, it was almost nonexistent.”

They are risking death by electrocution, Barineau said of the criminals.

“Cutting cables 20 to 30 feet above their head — If they cut the wrong cable, they could likely die,” he said.

Investigators have not pinpointed the cause of the surge. And Garland is …