LoJack® System Helps Phoenix Police Department Recover Stolen Mini Cooper
- January 5, 2016
- recovery stories
The owners of a used car dealership contacted the Phoenix Police Department to report a burglary and theft of several vehicles. One of the vehicles taken with the keys was a 2006 Mini Cooper convertible.
The Phoenix PD verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Mini Cooper.
Four minutes later, officers from the Phoenix PD picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Mini Cooper 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 Mini Cooper to the parking lot of a shopping mall near I-17 and Peoria Avenue.
Officers found the stolen Mini Cooper unoccupied in the parking lot. Auto theft detectives responded and conducted surveillance on the Mini Cooper. Parked next to the stolen Mini Cooper was a 2008 BMW 7 series with stolen Arizona license plates. A short time later three male subjects were observed getting into the two vehicles. As the detectives and marked Phoenix PD units moved in both vehicles attempted to flee but were boxed in. The three suspects were taken into custody without further incident. After further investigation, the BMW was determined to have been stolen from a different used car dealership during an overnight burglary two days prior.
During the interviews with the suspects, it was determined that they were responsible for the two commercial burglaries and the theft of several vehicles. The Phoenix PD auto theft detectives followed up on the information obtained during this arrest and recovered a stolen 2007 Mercedes Benz, a stolen 2007 Nissan Armada and a 2005 Ford Mustang, that were also taken during the burglaries. All the recovered vehicles were later returned to the dealerships in good condition. Two of the suspects have been charged with numerous felony counts for the burglaries and multiple auto thefts.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Mini Cooper in May 2006 at BMW of North Scottsdale in Phoenix, Arizona.