San José police arrested 15 suspects for stealing and selling catalytic converters, but more interestingly, they say three auto stores “were knowingly buying stolen catalytic converters from street criminals.”
Kudos to the San Jose Police Department, not just for aarrest of 15 suspects in catalytic converter theft ring, but also for having had the intelligence to name this police attack “Operation Cat Scratch Thiever”. (Golf clapper …)
Catalytic converter theft is indeed a problem, not only in the bay area, but nationwide. With few tools and little expertise, one can punch cars parked under cover of darkness and pull lucrative equipment that sells for a few hundred dollars. And as NBC Bay Area points Outside, San Jose Police said they “shut down three San Jose businesses suspected of knowingly buying stolen catalytic converters from street criminals,” and that these businesses “appeared to respond to thieves, often buying cut catalytic converters no questions asked “.
UPDATE: Campbell’s recycler Robert Frank accused of stealing $ 3 million worth of catalytic converters following Operation Cat Scratch Thiever, by @SantaClaraDA @SanJosePD, adding that the search of the home and work led to the seizure of 1,500 devices, $ 50,000, 1,200 armor-piercing bullets and an assault rifle pic.twitter.com/fHjg2N18oZ
– Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) December 13, 2021
And there is an even uglier stomach to it all. According to NBC Bay Area, “Police also believe at least one homicide in San Jose was the result of catalytic converter theft, when a victim confronted the suspects.”
“This lengthy operation is just another example of the proactive and thorough investigation that defines the SJPD,” Police Chief Anthony Mata said in a statement to NBC Bay Area. “Our community is increasingly plagued by these types of crimes, and I am grateful for the collaborative efforts our detectives have made with local jurisdictions and the Santa Clara County Attorney’s Office to arrest and prosecute these individuals. , while deterring anyone else. be imitating thieves in our city. “
Thanks to the police here, but they seem happy to splash the names and faces of the theft suspects, not also naming the stores that would have been on them. It would be useful from the consumer’s point of view! Because petty theft is a problem, but platforms where thieves can resell stolen goods may well be the main catalyst for this phenomenon.
Related: Another Smash-and-Grab captured on video, this time in Golden Gate Park, and a thief chased victim [SFist]
Image: @GalariaMichelle via twitter
