San Leandro Police Arrest Suspected Catalytic Converter Thieves

SAN LEANDRO, CA — San Leandro Police recovered multiple catalytic converters after catching four of five alleged thieves. One pair of suspects led police on a chase to Oakland, and had a generator and power-driven cutting tool with them to remove the catalytic converters.

The names of the men who were arrested have not been released.

Police arrested them Tuesday and Wednesday.

The first incident followed a report at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday of a theft of a catalytic converter in the 1500 block of Washington Avenue, where police obtained a description of the suspect's vehicle.
Shortly thereafter, detectives located the vehicle in Oakland and saw two men trying to sell numerous catalytic converters before they arrested the men, ages 31 and 32 both of Oakland, and recovered the devices.

At 3:40 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to another theft report and found three people in the process of cutting a catalytic converter from a car.

Two suspects fled the scene in a vehicle but police were able to apprehend one suspect at the scene.

The suspect's vehicle later hit a parked car in Oakland and officers apprehended another suspect. They also found a generator and power-driven cutting tool to remove the converters, along with several catalytic converters.

No additional information was provided on the people arrested.

SLPD offers these tips to avoid becoming a victim:

• Park within well-lit areas
• Park inside a garage if possible
• Park close to building entrances or near busy roadways
• Add video surveillance to the area where your vehicle is regularly parked, and add motion alerts to your smartphone
• Install aftermarket catalytic converter security devices

— Patch editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this story