CHP Air Unit Tracks Toyota Tundra Stolen in Car-Jacking, 3 Arrested
- January 17, 2012
- recovery stories
On January 9, 2012, Los Angeles County Sheriff”s East LA Detectives received a call about a 2005 Toyota Tundra that had just been stolen in a carjacking by a female utilizing a hand gun.
Officers responded to the scene, prepared a stolen vehicle report and had the stolen Tundra’s information entered into the state and federal crime computers. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Tundra and initiated the tracking of the vehicle.
A few minutes later, California Highway Patrol Air-83 Fixed Wing flight officers were traveling southbound on the 15 Freeway near the Dale Evans off-ramp when they picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Tundra on the Police Tracking Computer installed in their aircraft. After obtaining the description of the vehicle and suspect information, they followed the signal approximately seven miles into the city of Adelanto. There, they observed a vehicle matching the stolen Tundra’s description parked haphazardly at a residence in the 1500 block of Delaware. The officers alerted ground units from the Victorville California Highway Patrol, who responded to that location. With assistance from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, the officers and deputies made contact with the occupants of the residence and detained three individuals, one matching the description of the suspect. A search of the residence uncovered the keys to the stolen Tundra; a search of the garage uncovered the vehicle’s license plate, which had been removed. Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department East LA were advised of the discovery, and will be conducting a joint investigation into the incident.
The Toyota was recovered and held for Crime Scene processing. The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Toyota Tundra at the owner’s request by Puente Hills Toyota in September 2007.