LoJack Helps LAPD Recover Stolen Chevrolet Impala, Arrest One for Grand Theft Auto
- March 27, 2013
- recovery stories
On February 8, 2013, the owner of a 2004 Chevrolet Impala contacted the Los Angeles Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen from the street at their residence out of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles 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 Chevrolet.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, Southeast Division picked up the silent LoJack homing signals from the stolen Chevrolet on the Police Tracking Computer installed in their patrol vehicle. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computers, the officers tracked the signal to the area of 114th Street and Central Avenue, where they observed one male suspect driving the stolen vehicle with a female passenger. They conducted a high-risk traffic stop, taking both suspects into custody. Their investigation revealed that the vehicle displayed license plates that belonged to a 2002 Chevrolet Impala, as well as a Vehicle Identification number (VIN) also belonging to a 2002 Chevrolet Impala. The female passenger had ownership papers for the 2002 Chevrolet. The vehicle ignition had been punched and any key would have worked. They found evidence of VIN-tampering and arrested the male suspect for Grand Theft Auto. The female suspect was questioned and released.
The vehicle was recovered intact and is valued at $17,200.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Chevrolet Impala in April of 2004 at Young Pontiac, Cadillac in Escondido, California.