LoJack® System Helps Mesa Police Department Recover Stolen Chevrolet Tahoe
- November 3, 2015
- recovery stories
The owners of a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department to report that their vehicle had just been stolen with the keys from the driveway of their residence. An unknown male was seen running to the Chevrolet and jumping in. The owner advised the deputy that there was a handgun in the Chevrolet.
The sheriff’s deputy verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Chevrolet.
Twenty six minutes later, officers and the helicopter crew from the Mesa Police Department picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Chevrolet with the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft. Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the officers tracked the Chevrolet to the area of Ellsworth Road and Broadway Road in east Mesa.
The Chevrolet was located unoccupied in a supermarket parking lot. The Chevrolet was recovered by the marked Mesa PD patrol officers. The Mesa PD crime scene technicians responded and processed the Chevrolet for evidence. The handgun was found in the Chevrolet where the owner had left it. The owner responded to the recovery location and was extremely happy to get his Chevrolet and handgun back in good condition.
The suspect is also wanted for fleeing the scene of a hit and run collision prior to stealing the Chevrolet Tahoe. The Mesa PD auto theft detectives are following up investigative leads in the case.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Chevrolet Tahoe in March 2001 at Midway Chevrolet Geo in Phoenix, Arizona.