Posted on 03/17/2023 1:47:25 PM PDT by grundle
OAKLAND, Calif. - A Vacaville man was killed while allegedly stealing a catalytic converter in Oakland, according to police and media reports.
The coroner on Wednesday identified the man as 35-year-old Eric Chabot.
Oakland police said that on March 10 about 3 a.m., he was found underneath a car "committing a crime at the time of their death" in the 400 block of Lagunitas Avenue near Lake Merritt.
The East Bay Times reported he was trying to steal a catalytic converter from a parked Prius nearby.
Authorities told the news organization that it seems like the carjack Chabot was using malfunctioned causing the Prius to slip and crush him. A backpack containing cutting tools was found near him, authorities said.
The converter was still intact, police said.
A growing number of people have been crushed to death while trying to steal catalytic converters in the past few years.
One death happened in Berkeley in March 2020, another in Anaheim in March 2021, another occurred in Palmdale last month and a third occurred this month in Savannah, Georgia.
Anyone with information should call the OPD Criminal Investigations Division at (510)238-3326.
Guess he didn’t see the sign, “This converter is closer than it appears”.
Or the sign wasn't in Spanish.
Hm. That is a reasonable hypothesis. Thanks...it puzzled me.
And a helper
“”Guess he didn’t see the sign, “This converter is closer than it appears””
That’s good....
“I’ll be darned. I had no idea. I wonder why they have more precious metals in them? You would think they would have less.”
https://www.hotcars.com/heres-why-prius-catalytic-converter-theft-is-such-a-prominent-issue/
“The Toyota Prius is a hybrid, so it must be as environmentally friendly as possible. That’s why the Prius comes with some of the best catalytic converters installed on commercial vehicles.
Hybrid cars are mainly targeted for their converters because they corrode much less. The better that precious metal coating is preserved, the more thieves can make through illegal trading.”
One of the fun things about life is that I learn something new nearly every single day...:)
Mostly, that’s good!
I read your link! Plus the Prius is often running on electric. So less wear and tear on the precious metals in its catalytic converter.
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