El Monte Air & Ground Units Use LoJack to Recover Stolen Honda Civic, Suspect Arrested After Chase
- January 29, 2013
- recovery stories
On January 7, 2013, the owners of a Honda Civic contacted the West Covina Police Department to report their vehicle had been stolen.
West Covina Police Department verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle.
Within just a few minutes after activation, local police departments, including the El Monte Police Department’s Air 45 flight officers, picked up the LoJack silent signal from the stolen Honda. Air-45 noticed that the signal appeared to be moving, and began searching for the Honda. They tracked it to Lower Azusa Road and the 605 Freeway; there, they located a vehicle matching the Honda’s description, traveling westbound into the city of El Monte.
Ground units responded, and they finally caught up to the vehicle at Lower Azusa and Peck and confirmed that this was the stolen Honda. At this time, the suspect sped up, fleeing from the officers through several red lights. The vehicle was eventually stopped on Valle Boulevard and Santa Anita Avenue, where the driver was taken into custody. The suspect was booked on numerous felony charges, including Driving without Owners Consent.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Honda Civic at Norm Reeves Honda on August 8, 1998. The estimated value of this recovery was $2,500.