LoJack® System Helps Fresno Police Department Recover Stolen Mercedes Benz SLK320
- March 3, 2016
- recovery stories
The owner of a Mercedes Benz contacted the Fresno Police Department to report that their vehicle had been stolen while they were at work. The Fresno 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 Mercedes.
A little over an hour after being entered into the stolen vehicle system, the flight crew of SkyWatch, a Fresno PD helicopter, picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Mercedes 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 flight crew tracked the signal to the area of Butler and Orange avenues in southeast Fresno. The flight crew spotted the moving Mercedes and directed ground units who eventually made a high-risk traffic stop. The adult male driver and sole occupant of the Mercedes was taken into custody. The suspect was found to be a known gang member, currently on probation and wanted for failing to register as a sex offender. The suspect was arrested for vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, violation of probation and for failing to register.
The Mercedes was recovered intact and undamaged; it was released to the owner at the recovery scene.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Mercedes Benz SLK320 in December 2002 by Walters Mercedes Benz in Riverside, California.