Mercedes Stolen While Idling, San Francisco Police Recover It, Arrest Suspect
- June 30, 2012
- recovery stories
On June 10, 2012, the owner of a 2006 Mercedes CL500 left his idling car unattended in Walnut Creek, CA. Within the span of two minutes, a thief seized the opportunity and drove off in the vehicle. The owner contacted the Walnut Creek Police Department to report the crime. After verifying the theft, Walnut Creek officers had the Mercedes’ information entered into the state and federal crime computers, which activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle.
A short while later, officers from the San Francisco Police Department picked up the Mercedes’ silent LoJack homing signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Following the directional and audible signals on the LoJack computers, the officers tracked the vehicle into the city of San Francisco. In the downtown area, they stopped the vehicle in traffic and arrested the lone occupant for auto theft and outstanding felony warrants. The undamaged Mercedes was impounded for safekeeping until the owner could respond to San Francisco to retrieve it.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Mercedes in January of 2006 in Laguna Niguel, California.