LoJack Leads Police to Recovery of Stolen Honda Accord, Arrest of 2 Parolees
- May 23, 2012
- recovery stories
On April 26, 2012, the owners of a 2010 Honda Accord contacted the West Covina Police Department and reported that unknown suspects had broken into their 2000 Honda, removed keys to the 2010 Honda Accord, and stole both vehicles.
West Covina Police completed a stolen vehicle report and had this information entered into the state and federal crime computer systems. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed within the 2010 Honda. Neither the owners nor law enforcement agents had to take any further action to activate the LoJack tracking system, as LoJack’s interface with the police is both seamless and instantaneous.
Less than 30 minutes later, officers from the West Covina Police Department began to pick up the Honda’s silent LoJack signal on the Police Tracking Computers (PTC) installed in their patrol vehicles. Following the directional signal on the PTC, the officers tracked the vehicle to an apartment complex in the 1200 block of Leland Avenue. The vehicle was located, parked in a stall in the complex’s parking lot. The lead officer contacted Detectives from the LA County Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention (TRAP) team and requested they respond.
TRAP Detectives responded and conducted a brief surveillance on the vehicle before investigating to whom the parking spot was assigned. They discovered that the suspect was on active parole, and obtained a description of the suspect. A short while later, the officers observed a pickup truck leaving the location containing three individuals, one of whom matched the suspect’s description.
A chase vehicle from West Covina conducted a traffic stop, and with TRAP assistance, made contact with the suspect. A second suspect, also on parole, was found to have a set of “shaved keys”, and on the key ring was the key to the stolen Honda. Both suspects were detained.
Detectives returned to the apartment complex and attempted entry for a “parole” search, but discovered that the locks had been changed. The detectives obtained and served a search warrant; once inside, they located another male, who had possession of a pink laptop (determined stolen) and several vehicle registrations. The suspect was placed under arrest for receiving stolen property. Further search uncovered a large amount of narcotics in the main suspect’s room. The case will be submitted to the TRAP DA for consideration.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the 2010 Honda Accord in January of 2010. Note: the 2000 Honda was not equipped with LoJack, and has not yet been recovered.