LoJack Helps Broward County Deputies Recover Stolen Chevy SUV, 2nd Non-LoJack Vehicle
- September 22, 2012
- recovery stories
On Saturday afternoon, August 4, 2012, the owner of a 2005 Silver Chevrolet Equinox SUV discovered the vehicle missing from their home and contacted the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to report it stolen. The responding officer prepared a stolen vehicle report and theft affidavit and had the Chevrolet’s information entered into the state and federal crime computers. This routine police procedure automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle.
A short while later, a Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputy picked up the silent LoJack homing signal from the stolen Equinox on their on-board LoJack Police Tracking computer (PTC). Following the directional and audible cues on their PTC’s screen, the officer, along with backup, observed the Chevrolet and a second vehicle driving around in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 3100 block of N.W. 19th Street in Lauderdale Lakes. The officers stopped both vehicles. The occupant of the LoJack-equipped vehicle was immediately detained. The occupants of the non LoJack-equipped vehicle exited their vehicle and fled on foot.
The officers established a perimeter around the complex, and the suspects were arrested. Further investigation revealed that the other vehicle, a 2000 Plymouth Neon, was stolen from Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s jurisdiction. All of the suspects were arrested for Grand Theft Auto. Both vehicles were recovered, released to the owners at the scene, and removed from federal and state crime computer systems. The only apparent theft damage to the Equinox SUV was to its ignition, as the officers discovered a screwdriver in it.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the 2005 Silver Chevrolet Equinox on June 17, 2004 at Roger Dean Chevrolet in West Palm Beach, Florida and has been protecting it ever since.