Mercedes-Benz C320 Stolen in Miami-Dade County, Grandson of Owner Arrested for Theft
- August 28, 2012
- recovery stories
According to sources, on Sunday, July 15, 2012, the owner of a 2005 Mercedes-Benz C320 4-door sedan contacted the Miami-Dade Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen from the their home in Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. Miami-Dade officers verified the theft and had the Mercedes’ information entered into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle.
Later in the day, an officer with the Miami-Dade Police Department picked up the silent LoJack homing signal from the stolen Mercedes-Benz on their on-board LoJack Police Tracking computer (PTC). Following the directional and audible cues on their LoJack computers, the officer, along with backup, located the vehicle, in the parking lot of a convenience store along South Dixie Highway in the Miami-Dade County.
The officer observed the Mercedes for a while until a subject approached the vehicle and opened its door by using the key fob. At that point, the officer and her backup stopped the vehicle with guns drawn, before the vehicle could move. The suspect was apprehended without incident and ultimately arrested for grand theft auto. Upon further investigation, police discovered that the suspect was the grandson of the owner, but was not given permission to use the car at any time.
The suspect was transported to M.D.P.D. Palmetto Bay Headquarters for processing and ultimately to the Dade County Jail. The Mercedes was recovered, released to the owner at the scene, and removed from federal and state crime computer systems.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Mercedes-Benz C320 4-door sedan on June 8, 2006 at Bill Ussery Motors in Coral Gables, Florida and has been protecting it ever since.