Known Gang Member Arrested for Theft of Honda in Long Beach, Asks for State Prison vs. County Jail
- July 22, 2012
- recovery stories
On June 10, 2012, the owner of a Honda Accord contacted the Long Beach Police Department to report their vehicle stolen from the street at their residence in Long Beach. Long Beach officers verified the theft and entered the vehicle’s information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Honda.
A short while later, an officer from the Long Beach Police Department picked up the silent LoJack homing signals from the stolen Honda on the Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computers, the officer tracked the signal to Orange Avenue and Broadway, where he observed the vehicle being driven by one male with two male passengers. He requested back-up units, and when they arrived, they conducted a high-risk traffic stop, taking all suspects into custody. The officer’s investigation revealed that the driver was a known gang member who was on parole for Grand Theft Auto and admitted to using a shaved key to steal the vehicle. The suspect asked the detective he if he could add more charges so he would go to State Prison rather than County Jail.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the 1996 Honda Accord on April 23, 1997 at Power Honda in Costa Mesa and is currently valued at $4,575.