LAPD’s LoJack Recovery of Stolen Cadillac Escalade Leads to Discovery of Chop Shop
- October 10, 2012
- recovery stories
On September 18, 2012, the owner of a 2003 Cadillac Escalade contacted the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to report that their vehicle was stolen from a street in Lynnwood. LASD Century Station deputies verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Cadillac.
A short while later, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department 77th Street Division picked up the silent LoJack homing signals from the stolen Cadillac on the Police Tracking Computer installed in his patrol vehicle. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computers, the officer tracked the signal to a building in the 1600 block of West 53rd Street. The officer notified LASD detectives, who responded to the location. Through cracks in the door, the detectives observed the vehicle inside the building.
After obtaining a search warrant, the detectives entered the location, where they recovered the partially-stripped stolen vehicle, valued at $17,050. They also recovered a stolen Ford Mustang engine, a Nissan Pathfinder engine, a stripped out Harley Davidson and numerous license plates belonging to stolen vehicles. Suspects have been identified and a warrant is being obtained. 77th Street detectives are conducting the follow-up investigation.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Cadillac Escalade on January 9, 2004 at Coast Cadillac in Long Beach, California.