Suspect Used Stolen Prius to Buy Cocaine — Arrested by LASPD K-9 Officer
- June 15, 2012
- recovery stories
On the afternoon of May 14, 2012, the owner of a 2010 Toyota Prius contacted the Inglewood Police Department to report the vehicle stolen. Inglewood officers verified the theft and entered the Toyota’s information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Prius.
A short while later, a Los Angeles School Police K-9 officer picked up the LoJack signal from the victim’s stolen 2010 Toyota Prius on the Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computers, the officers tracked the vehicle to Figueroa Street, where he observed the vehicle parked with a female in the driver’s seat and a male passenger. The officer and his dog converged upon the vehicle, taking both suspects into custody.
During the subsequent investigation, the female suspect admitted to driving the vehicle, but claimed that the owner gave her the vehicle to purchase some cocaine. Police contacted the owner, who denied knowing the suspect, and said that he had dropped and lost his keys at a take-out chicken restaurant. The female suspect was arrested for Driving without Owners Consent and the male passenger was questioned and released. 77th Street Detectives are conducting the follow-up investigation.