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Another catalytic converter thief shot by CCL-holder


Euler

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CWBChicago

CWBChicago said:

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Around 4:25 p.m. on Thursday, police received reports of a two-man catalytic converter theft crew operating in the North Center neighborhood in a black Jeep.

 

While officers were looking for the thieves, a 57-year-old man in the 2200 block of West Oakdale heard noises outside his home around 4:46 p.m. When he went outside to investigate, he discovered thieves trying to take his car's catalytic converter, according to police.

 

One of the thieves pulled out a gun and shot the victim, who was hit twice in the abdomen. According to officers on the scene, the victim returned fire, and witnesses saw a young man wearing a black hoodie get into a black SUV while holding his left forearm.

 

About 20 minutes after the shooting, a juvenile with an arrest record arrived at Humboldt Park Health, formerly Norwegian Hospital, wearing a black hoodie for treatment of two gunshot wounds to his left forearm. Investigators are working to determine if there is a connection between the injured teen and the shooting.

 

Meanwhile, an ambulance transported the North Center victim to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was listed in fair condition, according to police.

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Update 10:15 p.m. -- Chicago police tonight confirmed that charges are being pursued against the 16-year-old who showed up with gunshot wounds at Humboldt Park Health.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Solution, move out of Chicago. Park in a garage. Motion sensor lights.  And IF they catch them or you call the CPD, who’s paying for the replacement/repairs/reinstall if possible of the cat?  Yeah I kinda knew that last one already.

 

If some in the INS business is reading, new cottage industry for you.  CAT Theft INS riders.  

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On 8/12/2022 at 9:53 AM, cybermgk said:

"police received reports of a two-man catalytic converter theft crew"  implies this is a regular thing.  Is it?

 

Yep, a huge problem in some areas, some towns/cities have actually outlawed the selling of used catalytic converters trying to slow the theft down.

 

Considering a new OEM catalytic converter can cost in the neighborhood of $1000, it's a big payday item, even if dumped well below market value.

 

Hit up Youtube and watch some of the videos, these crews are FAST and BRAZEN, doing it in broad daylight and it only takes a crew of two about 1 minute flat to jack the car up and sawzall the convert off.

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Earlier this year my wire had the catalytic converter stolen from her Toyota Prius while she was parked in a bank parking lot.

 

The replacement catalytic converter cost was $3,500.  Fortunately our vehicle comprehensive insurance covered all but $100.

 

We now have an aftermarket armor plate that covers the catalytic converter.

 

-Keith.

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On 8/12/2022 at 8:33 PM, Keith44 said:

We now have an aftermarket armor plate that covers the catalytic converter.

 

There are those, plus a lot of people are getting creative.  I have seen picture of people that have welded chains all over the cat and welded the other end of the chain to to the frame of the car at misc points.  Also seen several nets make of cables that harness the cat and attach to the frame.  Saw some people making cages out of rebar, even saw one guy that wrapped the cat in sections of razor wire welded to the cat and welded to the frame.

 

They want that 1 or 2 minute get-away so anything that they see that will slow them down will likely cause them to skip you.

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Correct me if I am wrong but the places that the thieves take the stolen converters to pretty much know that they are stolen anyway. Especially if the same people continue to bring them converters in an ongoing basis. They couldnt care less obviously because if there wasnt a buyer for them, they wouldnt be stolen as much as they are.

 

But the real reason that converters are stolen isn't because of the converters themselves but rather the precious metals inside. So merely spray painting or engraving them is a fools quest. It doesn't take long to get one with a battery operated Sawzall. This might be an issue in the short time that the thieves have possession on the off chance that they get stopped by an officer but I'm sure they dispose of them for quick cash as soon as they can. The precious metals get removed and the shell gets disposed of. Coming up with a way to prevent the theft or make it more difficult in the first place is the better solution.

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On 8/14/2022 at 7:41 AM, mikeyk101 said:

Correct me if I am wrong but the places that the thieves take the stolen converters to pretty much know that they are stolen anyway. Especially if the same people continue to bring them converters in an ongoing basis. They couldnt care less obviously because if there wasnt a buyer for them, they wouldnt be stolen as much as they are.

 

If a painted or serialized one is found by the police during whatever, it allows them to trace it back to a specific crime instead of the suspect just saying, he cut it off a junked car and/or replaced it for a friend.  Without a way to connect it to a crime, it's a whole lot harder to build a solid case and the crooks know this, it becomes a matter of risk.

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I'd be curious to know how these places process the catalytic converters for the precious metals. Do they do it or do they just send the converters off somewhere else? If they process them right away, I'm assuming one of the first things they do is dispose of the shell that would be painted and/or serialized. Recover the precious metals and then crush them and there's nothing to investigate. But, then the precious metals must go somewhere. Figure out where they are going and who is dealing in high volumes of these precious metals and that could be the start of the investigation. Follow it backwards and figure out a way to start shutting down the person(s) buying and dealing with the stolen converters. Without a buyer, the thieves lose a big incentive.

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On 8/14/2022 at 6:35 PM, mikeyk101 said:

Figure out where they are going and who is dealing in high volumes of these precious metals and that could be the start of the investigation.

 

That would probably lead back to legit recylers, and without probable cause you would likely not be able to get a list of people dropping them off in bulk, like junkyards and muffler companies.  That is where a serial or paint job opens the door, if you see a serialed one or a painted one the probable cause door is open.  It's not perfect but it inconviences them enough that it's likely to make them skip your car, just like locking your doors is generally enough to deter all these snatch and grab stuff inside parked car crooks that canvas neighborhoods.  Statistics show that if you make your item just that much harder and less desirable than the next many times crooks will skip it, yeah it's not perfecte but it helps.  Just like Illinois law forbidding paying more than $100 'cash' for cats, it's not perfect but it inconviences many that would otherwise do it.

 

It's really no different than serial numbers on the car themselves it's just a deterant, I have parted out enough stripped cars to know that people will offer more for the dashboard and serial numbler plate combined with the title than the junk yard will give for the entire car if it's a popular model.  Everytime I have parted out a car, I always get several people offering stupid money for the dashboard and title, I turn them down but I'm sure others don't.

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CWBChicago

CWBChicago said:

Newly-acquired surveillance video shows a heavily-armed and remarkably polished catalytic converter theft crew working a Chicago residential street this month. The footage shows that the thefts, often dismissed as “property crimes,” are serious business for the people who carry them out.

 

"I'd like for everyone to be aware that these people are armed and will fire shots straight at front doors that open or individuals that they feel pose a threat to their operation," said the resident who agreed to share the video with CWBChicago.

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Two of the lookouts are clearly seen with firearms in their hands. The entire operation took less than a minute from start to finish. Watch:

 

 

Meanwhile, there are indications that catalytic converter thieves may be part of a nationwide network that ships stolen car parts cross-country, defeating local efforts to interrupt the sale of the devices.

...

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