LoJack Tracking of Stolen Acura Leads to Recovery of 6 Other Stolen Vehicles in Chop Shop Operation
- February 13, 2012
- recovery stories
On the morning of January 23, 2012, the owner of a 1990 Acura Integra went outside to go to work and discovered that his vehicle had been stolen sometime during the night. The victim reported the theft to the Sacramento Police Department, who entered information about the stolen Acura into the state and federal crime computers. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed inside the Acura. Neither the owner nor law enforcement had to do anything else to activate the LoJack system, because LoJack’s interface with law enforcement is both seamless and instantaneous.
Less than four hours later, officers with the Sacramento Police and the California Highway Patrol began to receive the silent signal from the LoJack transponder that was installed in the Acura almost 20 years prior. Following the directional and signal strength cues on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers in their patrol vehicles, the officers tracked the stolen Acura to an upscale residential area in Sacramento. It appeared the vehicle was inside the closed garage of an old residence that is listed in the “Historical California Homes Registry.”
Officers secured the residence, and after numerous phone calls, located the home owner who lives out of town and only visits the home occasionally. The owner stated that no one has permission to be in or use the residence. Officers then gained entry into the garage and located the stolen vehicle. Also in the garage were the suspect and his girlfriend who were living in a tent inside the locked garage.
Investigators responded and took custody of the suspect. The suspect admitted the theft and agreed to show investigators other vehicles he has stolen in the past week. This included three Hondas, a Toyota pickup, a Toyota sedan, and another Acura . The suspect has several prior arrests for auto theft and stated he stole the cars and drove them back to the garage, removed the Catalytic converters, stereos and other miscellaneous items from the vehicles and then dumped them away from the residence.