LoJack® System in Stolen 2004 Porsche Carrera assists Everett Police with Recovery and Arrests
- May 28, 2019
- Law Enforcement
The manager of an Everett area auto body shop arrived to work and discovered the business burglarized sometime over the previous two days. The suspect(s) cut a large hole in a perimeter fence and pried open the bay door to a secured building. Missing from inside the building were a 2004 Porsche Carrera, a Cooltech A/C repair unit and a Snap-On Welder. The Porsche belonged to a customer who left the vehicle for maintenance. The manager immediately called 911. After verifying the theft, Everett PD entered vehicle information for the Porsche into the state and federal crime computers. This automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the vehicle.
Detectives
immediately canvassed the area for video footage; video obtained from a nearby
business revealed two suspects had cut the large hole in the fence. The suspects pushed two large pieces of
equipment out and then drove the Porsche out through the damaged fence. Once on the other side of the fence, the
suspects attempted to load the expensive equipment into the stolen Porsche. However, only the welder would fit. The suspects had no choice but to leave the
Cooltech A/C repair unit behind; a suspect later returned on foot and wheeled
it down the road.
Later that morning, an officer with the Everett Police Department received a
LoJack hit on his Police Tracking Computer (PTC), which are installed in patrol
vehicles and aircraft. Utilizing the audible and visual signal of his PTC, the officer
was able to navigate to a residential area in the 600 block of Pebble Place. The Porsche was unoccupied and under a car
cover at the time it was located. Without
the LoJack activation, it would have likely gone unrecovered for an extensive period. The Porsche was impounded for evidence/safekeeping
and the owner notified. The Porsche was
recovered just a few short hours from the time of activation and before it
could be used in any additional crimes.
Two suspects were developed and arrested after an extensive investigation. A key to the stolen Porsche was located inside one suspects pocket during a search incident to his arrest. Both suspects were booked into the Snohomish County Jail and charged with Burglary 2nd Degree and Theft of a Motor Vehicle. During an interview with one suspect, he admitted to the crime and stated their original intention was just to steal car batteries to trade or sell for drugs. The theft of the Porsche was opportunistic.
The Auto Gallery, Woodland, California, installed the LoJack® System in July 2004.