Anaheim Officers Stop Two Vehicles, Recover Stolen Ford F-150, Arrest Suspect
- February 24, 2012
- recovery stories
On February 12, 2012, the owners of a 2005 Ford F-150 parked their vehicle by a soccer field to watch a game. Apparently, the suspect observed the victim place the Ford’s keys into a duffle bag, which was left on the ground. The suspect stole the keys without being seen, and then stole the victims’ pickup truck. When the owners of the Ford pickup noticed the keys and truck missing, they reported the theft to the Anaheim Police Department.
After verifying the theft and completing a stolen vehicle report, the Anaheim Police had the Ford’s VIN entered into the state and federal crime computer databses. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Ford and initiated the tracking of the vehicle.
Minutes later, a Canine officer driving a LoJack-equipped patrol vehicle picked up the silent LoJack signa from the stolen Ford pickup. Following the computer cues, the officer tracked the vehicle to Cypress West of Harbor Boulevard. Utilizing Air-Angel infrared camera, it was determined that the engine was still warm, so an unmarked unit was set in place to monitor the vehicle. Within minutes, a small vehicle arrived and parked next to the Ford truck. A male exited, entered the Ford truck and then both vehicles were driven away. Officers immediately responded to the scene, stopped both vehicles and detained the drivers for further investigation. Based upon the field interviews, the suspect who drove the Ford truck was arrested and booked on felony charges. The driver of the small vehicle was released in the field. The case was referred to detectives for filing.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in this Ford F-150 by the original owners at Claremont Ford in September 2004.