Orange County Officers Recover Stolen Lexus 300, Arrest 2, Thanks to LoJack
- November 12, 2012
- recovery stories
On October 23, 2012, the owner of a Lexus 300 contacted the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to report the vehicle stolen.
LASD verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Lexus.
Within minutes, officers from numerous agencies in Orange County picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Lexus on the Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Detectives from the Buena Park Police Department were notified of the signal coming from within the city, and responded with their portable tracking system. Following the directional and signal strength cues on the LoJack computer, the officer located the vehicle, parked and unoccupied, in the 5900 block of Brazil Drive.
Officers set up surveillance on the Lexus, and a short while later a man and a woman entered the vehicle and drove away. The officers conducted a felony traffic stop on the vehicle, and both suspects were taken into custody without further incident. The Auto Theft detective on the scene questioned the suspects, and the woman admitted to stealing the vehicle. The detective and the assisting officer drove back to the motel where the suspects had been staying, and recovered the victim’s house keys and keys to another vehicle. Both suspects were later booked, pending felony complaints by the DDA. The Lexus, valued at $6,500, was recovered undamaged and stored for safekeeping.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Lexus 300 at South Bay Lexus on June 7, 1999.