Stolen Ford F150 Pickup Recovered by LASD Air & Ground Units Using LoJack, Parolee Arrested
- November 15, 2012
- recovery stories
On November 3, 2012, the owner of a 2005 Ford F150 pickup truck contacted the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Carson Station to report that his vehicle had been stolen. Apparently, several months ago, he had lost his vehicle keys; it appeared that they had been used by thieves to steal the truck.
LASD deputies verified the theft and entered the Ford’s information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the pickup truck.
Minutes later, deputies from the LASD Carson Station picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Ford on the Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol cars. Following the directional and signal strength cues on the LoJack computers, the deputies noted that the signal was emanating from a local housing project, with only one road in and out. The deputies requested assistance from the Aero Bureau, set up a perimeter around the area, and made entry into the housing area.
Air-23 responded and observed the Ford truck being driven inside the project area. As deputies closed in, the suspect drove onto a dead end street and fled from the truck on foot. According to the deputy handling, the suspect ran right into waiting deputies and was arrested without further incident. The suspect, a recently paroled male, was booked on several felony charges pending a felony complaint.
The Ford F150 was returned to the victim with only minor scratches which occurred when the vehicle rolled into a wall at the end of the dead end. The value of this recovery is $10,000.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Ford F150 on October 3, 2005 at Wondries Ford.