LoJack System Helps Orange County Auto Theft Task Force Recover Stolen 2015 Lexus ES 350 with an Arrest.
- December 21, 2018
- Law Enforcement
An Orange County auto dealership contacted the Orange County Auto Theft Taskforce (OCATT) to report their 2015 Lexus ES had been fraudulently purchased. OCATT investigated and determined the Lexus was purchased by the buyer using fraudulent identification. OCATT entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Lexus.
An hour after entering the Lexus into the stolen vehicle system, officers from Huntington Beach PD picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Lexus 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 vehicle to the driveway of a residence in Huntington Beach. OCATT investigators responded to the location and initiated a surveillance of the Lexus. A short time later a male subject entered the Lexus and drove away. OCATT investigators followed the Lexus until they were able to safely stop the vehicle. Investigators interviewed the driver and determined he was an innocent third party purchaser. The Lexus was recovered and the driver was released.
Through their investigation OCATT investigators were later able to identify the fraudulent purchaser and arrest him. The suspect was tied to four other fraudulent purchases from various dealerships in Orange County.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Lexus ES 350 in February 2018 at Lexus of Sacramento, Sacramento CA.