Stolen Mitsubishi Montero Recovered in Minutes by CHP, One Arrested After High-Risk Traffic Stop
- April 22, 2012
- recovery stories
On March 19, 2012, the owners of a 1998 Mitsubishi Montero discovered that their vehicle had been stolen and immediately contacted the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Division to report the theft.
LAPD officers completed a stolen vehicle report and had the Mitsubishi’s information entered into the state and federal crime computers. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed within in the vehicle. Neither the owners nor law enforcement agents had to take any further action to initiate police tracking of the Mitsubishi, as LoJack’s interface with the police is both seamless and instantaneous.
Less than 30 minutes later, officers with the California Highway Patrol (CHP)’s West LA Station received the Mitsubishi’s homing signal on the Police Tracking Computer (PTC) installed in their patrol vehicle. Following audio and visual cues on the LoJack PTC, the officers tracked the vehicle to Vermont Boulevard and Imperial Highway. There, they observed one male suspect driving the stolen Mitsubishi. The officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop, taking the suspect into custody. The suspect later told officers that he got the vehicle from a friend and was going to park it for him. The suspect was arrested for Driving Without Owner’s Consent.
West LA CHP Detectives are handling the follow-up investigation.