This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis police handed out a limited number of free car clubs to Kia and Hyndai drivers Wednesday afternoon to combat a significant rise in auto thefts involving both makes.

Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department handed out an undisclosed number of free car clubs Wednesday at the Crown Mart at 2601 Delmar Blvd. Car clubs were handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis.

After handing out an allotted number of free car clubs, police charged $15 for all remaining car clubs. Police required people to either bring their Kia or Hyundai vehicles or show proof of their vehicle in order to get a car club.

Police have logged hundreds of incidents involving stolen Kia and Hyundai vehicles since the beginning of the year. Owners of such vehicles are being asked to take caution after a viral TikTok challenge demonstrated how to steal such vehicles.

For more information about the availability of car clubs in the city, call 314-622-4800 or click here.