LoJack® System Helps Tucson Police Department Recover Stolen Mini Cooper
- April 13, 2016
- recovery stories
The owners of a 2016 Mini Cooper contacted the Tucson Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen from the driveway of their residence. The owner left the Mini Cooper running while she ran back inside the house to grab a jacket. When she came back out the Mini Cooper was missing and a bicycle was left next to the driveway. The owner advised that she had just purchased the Mini Cooper five days prior from a dealership in California.
The Tucson 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.
Nine minutes later, patrol officers and the helicopter from the Tucson 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 found the stolen Mini Cooper occupied, travelling on city streets.
The Mini Cooper fled from the marked police units. The Tucson PD helicopter crew followed the stolen Mini Cooper to Grant Road and Alvernon Way where they observed three suspects bail from the vehicle and run away on foot. A perimeter was established and the K-9 units responded to the scene. The driver and one of the passengers were apprehended by the K-9 and taken into custody without further incident. The third suspect evaded capture for the time being.
The Mini Cooper received damage due to the suspects hitting a pole when they were fleeing from police. The driver then left the Mini Cooper in drive when they bailed out and the vehicle rolled into a mesquite tree. The police processed the Mini Cooper for evidence and then returned the Mini Cooper to the owner.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Mini Cooper in January 2016 at Mini of San Diego in California.