Police have been busy with catalytic converter thefts. This week alone, there were three incidents involving three police departments in three days. One involved a shootout with the vehicle owner. Thieves are only getting more brazen.
Police have been busy with catalytic converter thefts this week.
Three incidents occurred with three different police departments, one of them involving a shootout with the vehicle owner.
The latest report happened early Wednesday morning in Denton, when police observed a suspicious vehicle next to a Toyota Tundra in a hotel parking lot.
“Those two factors together – the fact that it was a hotel parking lot and also a Toyota Tundra -- really sparked our officers' interest,” said Allison Beckwith, PIO for the Denton Police Department. “Because that's the place and also the type of vehicle that we most commonly see associated with these catalytic converter thefts.”
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Beckwith said the officers saw a suspect get underneath the Tundra, then return to the suspect vehicle and leave the scene.
After confirming the converter was taken, a high-risk traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle. Three suspects – two adults and a juvenile – were subsequently detained, each charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and unlawful use of a criminal instrument.
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Four catalytic converters and a reciprocating saw were confiscated from their vehicle.
Meantime, Dallas Police is praising their northwest division officers and the crime response team. They say a traffic stop and investigation led to getting a known catalytic converter thief in custody this week.
Officers seized 10 catalytic converter parts, along with meth and marijuana.
Then in Frisco, police are still investigating a shootout between a man and a group of suspected thieves on Tuesday.
Police say the man went up to the suspects, just as they were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car.
A shooting erupted between the man and one of the suspects. The man wasn't hurt. The suspects fled in a maroon Dodge Charger and at last check, were still at large.
Local law enforcement say they can't warn people enough to be on the lookout.
"I think a lot of these criminals have been very brazen,” said Beckwith. “Because this is one of those crimes that's just now starting to be talked about on a wider scale. And we're also seeing arise not only in North Texas, but in the entire country."
Beckwith suggests that if you can, park near security cameras or within locked garages.
Open parking garages and hotel parking lots have been hot targets.
“I think it's a possibility that a lot of these hotels are right off the highway so they can be in and out and in a completely different city in a matter of minutes, potentially,” said Beckwith. “But also we are seeing more and more hotels become educated about these sort of crimes. And they're getting security guards, cameras, and better lighting. That's definitely going to make a difference as well.”
Additionally, police say people who drive Toyotas, especially Toyota trucks with more clearance from the ground, have become hot targets because the metals in those converters can fetch more money.
"It is something that only takes a few seconds for some of these criminals and it can be thousands of thousands of dollars of losses for the victim,” said Beckwith.
The tight economy could be to blame for the increase but police are aware of entire operations here in North Texas that are sending box loads of converters to recyclers in other states for big money.
Another trend among thieves lately is stealing tail lights because there are no serial numbers and it can be easier to sell.
