CHP and Sacramento Officers Bust Chop Shop, Arrest One, Recover Multiple Stolen Vehicles & Parts
- November 1, 2012
- recovery stories
On the night of September 27, 2012, suspects smashed through the fence of Brashers Auto Auction and stole six vehicles from the lot. The theft was reported to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and reports were taken on all of the stolen vehicles; it was determined that one vehicle, a 2005 Mustang, was equipped with LoJack. CHP officers verified the theft and had the Mustang’s information entered into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle.
A short while later, officers with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department and the CHP Auto Theft Task Force began to receive the silent signal from the 2005 stolen Mustang. Following the directional and signal strength cues from the LoJack Police Tracking Computers, the officers tracked the vehicle to the area of West 2nd and Q Streets in Rio Linda. There, they isolated the signal in the backyard of a residence. The officers made contact with the resident and entered the yard, where they recovered the stolen Mustang, still intact, along with a stolen motorcycle and numerous stolen parts from other vehicles. Officers then checked the surrounding streets and recovered two Chevy Pickup trucks that were also taken during the break-in. All three vehicles were processed for latent prints and released back to the auto auction.
The suspect, who has a lengthy record including auto theft, was arrested for receiving stolen property and running a chop shop. The total value of all recovered vehicles and motorcycles was approximately $56,000.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Mustang at North Country Ford in July of 2005.