LASD Deputies Using LoJack Track Stolen Yamaha to Motorcycle Shop, Suspect Arrested
- August 31, 2012
- recovery stories
On August 2, 2012, the owner of a 2007 Yamaha YZF-R6 motorcycle contacted the Irvine Police Department to report his motorcycle. Irvine Police verified the theft and entered the Yamaha’s information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the motorcycle.
A short while later, a Los Angeles Sheriff Deputy from the East LA Station was on patrol in her LoJack-equipped patrol vehicle when she picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Yamaha. Following the directional and audible signal from the LoJack computers, the deputy tracked the stolen motorcycle to an alley east of Atlantic Boulevard in the city of Commerce. She quickly observed the stolen Yamaha, with a male suspect getting off of it, and three men approaching the suspect. All four individuals were detained for investigation.
Assisting deputies arrived and investigated the location – a motorcycle shop. The shop’s owner was very nervous, and initially denied knowledge of the stolen motorcycle and the suspect. Officers reviewed a surveillance video, which revealed that the suspect had placed a jacket and motorcycle helmet inside the store – clothing that was discovered under the counter. Based upon the investigation’s findings, the suspect that the deputy observed driving the motorcycle was arrested. The clothing was seized as evidence, the motorcycle stored for safekeeping, and the suspect booked for Driving a Motor Vehicle without Owner’s Consent. The investigation remains ongoing.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Yamaha YZF-R6, valued at $4,000, in June of 2008 at Champion Motor Cycles.