LoJack System Helps the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Recover Stolen Toyota Sequoia within Minutes of Activation with an Arrest.
- February 28, 2019
- Law Enforcement
A
car dealership in Mission Viejo CA contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s
Department (OCSD) to report a used Toyota Sequoia had been stolen from their lot during the previous night.
The OCSD verified the theft and entered
the Toyota information into the state and
federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Toyota.
Only twenty-four minutes later patrol deputies from the Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Lakewood station picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Toyota 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 deputies tracked the Toyota to a parking lot in the city of Lakewood. The deputies saw the stolen Toyota
being driven in the parking lot and then watched as the driver parked it in a
stall. The deputies pulled behind
the Toyota as the driver was exiting the vehicle. The driver attempted to walk away from the
Toyota but the deputies were able to safely detain him. The driver told the
deputies that the Toyota was a preowned vehicle and that he had 30 days to try
it out. The deputies asked him if he had
documentation to prove his claim, and he responded “It’s not my problem.”
The deputies contacted the Mission Viejo
dealership and learned the Toyota had been stolen during the previous
night. The dealership had video surveillance
that captured the theft; however they were unable to provide the deputies with
the video footage at the time. Deputies
will follow-up with obtaining the surveillance video. The dealership also confirmed that the
suspect did not have permission to take or drive the Toyota. The deputies arrested the suspect and
recovered the undamaged Toyota.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Toyota Sequoia in October 2006 at Toyota
of Escondido, Escondido CA.