The last few years have seen catalytic converter thefts explode in the US Statistics show that that catalytic converter thefts have increased by more than 1,000 percent over the past four years. And theft doesn’t seem to slow down. KTLA report that one of the latest target for the conversion thieves is a Mitsubishi dealer in Southern California.
The theft occurred at Cerritos Mitsubishi around 6 a.m. on June 4 A video recorded by a dealer’s employee Security guard Jaero Barba shows thieves allegedly trying to steal the converter of what looks like a Mitsubishi Outlander. Barba said that after spotting the thieves, he called the police and then tried to distract and get their attention by honking his horn. That’s when the thieves retaliated against him.
The video shows the suspects throwing the rearview mirror they broke into the customer’s car at the guard’s car. One of the suspects then threw the catalytic converter into his car and broke the window.
dealer The service department manager says thefts are still a regular problem for dealers. “This year alone, we have been attacked three, maybe four times, and last year, I want to say at least four more times,” he told KTLA.
The service manager says that it’s actually cheaper for the dealer to pay out of pocket to replace the adapter than it is to go the insurance route. But then the thieves came back and took away the converter. “It’s not cheap and each catalytic converter costs about $2,700“ he say. The dealer is now asking for help in identifying the thieves from the video.
