One LoJack System Leads to Recovery of 4 Stolen Vehicles, Arrest of 3 Car Thieves — One Armed
- June 5, 2012
- recovery stories
On April 3, 2012, the owner of a 1999 Honda Civic discovered the vehicle missing and contacted the Phoenix Police Department to report the crime. Phoenix Police prepared a stolen vehicle report and had the Honda’s information entered into the Arizona state and federal crime computer systems. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Honda. Neither the owners nor law enforcement had to do anything else to activate the LoJack Vehicle Recovery Network, because LoJack’s interface with law enforcement is both seamless and instantaneous.
Less than twenty minutes later, officers with the Glendale Police Department began to pick up the silent LoJack homing signal from the stolen Honda on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Phoenix Police Department’s Auto Theft unit had detectives working in the area, and they tracked the stolen vehicle to an apartment complex in the 3800 block of N. 83rd Avenue. Detectives from both agencies set-up surveillance when they noticed a second stolen Honda parked two stalls away from the LoJack-equipped stolen Honda. A short time later, a detective on surveillance noticed two vehicles – a new Kia Soul and a Pontiac Grand Am – pass him at a high speed. The Kia and Pontiac pulled into the area near the stolen Honda, and three suspects began removing items from the three vehicles, placing the items in a van also parked nearby. The officers moved in and safely detained all three suspects, including one armed with a 9mm handgun. Officers discovered that the Kia was stolen the day before and that the Pontiac was stolen at gunpoint a few minutes earlier only 4 blocks away!
The armed suspect was found to be on probation for car theft and had an outstanding felony warrant. The one LoJack-equipped Honda enabled the recovery of four stolen vehicles, and the removal of three auto theft suspects being removed from the streets.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Honda at the owner’s request in May 1999. This is the second time this Honda has been stolen and tracked and recovered by police using LoJack. The first theft happened in California back on September 12, 1999.