Posted on 12/09/2023 4:57:48 AM PST by marktwain
A car owner who came across thieves who were trying to steal his catalytic converter exchanged gunfire with the suspects in a Miami-Dade neighborhood early Wednesday, police said.
The incident unfolded shortly before 5 a.m. at a community in the 8100 block of Northwest 8th Street.
Miami-Dade Police Det. Andre Martin said a resident was in his home when he heard power tools in the parking lot.
The resident saw two people under his vehicle trying to remove the catalytic converter, so he armed himself and confronted the suspects, Martin said.
“When I went out to walk my dog at 4:45, I hear power tools going off and I go 'what the hell is going on?' I lean over my balcony and I see two guys underneath my truck working to cut off the catalytic converter," owner Luis Vega said. “They got out of the car and they had the gall to come walking. They wanted their tools because they knew they had their prints on them and I said 'no, that’s not going to happen.' So I came back up and I took shelter behind the wall. They go along a sidewalk. One of them crouches behind a pickup truck, points a gun and cranks out two rounds but of course I already took cover. What did I do? I returned fire and they ran.”
Martin said there was an exchange of gunfire, and the two suspects fled the scene in a vehicle.
"At this time we do not belive anyone was injured in this incident," Martin said. "But our investigators are working to determine all of the facts in this case."
Doorbell camera video showed two men lurking around and eventually crouching under the car. Another camera showed the men running away followed by what sounds like a gunshot.
“To enter into someone’s residence or apartment complex overnight and to damage their vehicle and steal something that we all work so hard for especially during this holiday season is a very selfish and cowardly crime and it is not something that we as law enforcement will tolerate," Martin said.
The men didn't get away with anything from the victim's car, but detectives are checking if any other cars were hit as another man who lives in the area said someone stole the catalytic converter from his wife's car early Wednesday.
Martin also encouraged residents to not engage with suspects.
"If you witness a crime we encourage you not to engage with the subjects, please call the police and we will be there to assist you in this situation as fast as we can," he said.
If there vehicle is nearby, good time to flatten their tires so they have to buy new ones.
How long will it be before thieves see the value of swiping electric car batteries?
I would acquit anyone stopping thieves
Even thieves don’t want EV’s
Three times in a row I read the title in the new feed as “Cat Owner...”
might as well steal the whole car...
But remember, thieves are thieves because they are just ignorant and can’t do better.
Now that those cold blooded crooks know the man’s identity, they may attempt to retaliate against him. His identity and address should have been kept anonymous.
BWAAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
Same here.
“But remember, thieves are thieves because they are just ignorant and can’t do better.”
I’m assuming this is sarcasm, but I believe thieves are thieves because they are lazy, greedy, evil-minded SOBs.
No sarcasm and, you are correct.
Ignorance is the end result of being lazy, greedy, evil-minded SOBs.
Flattening the thieves tires might be the only safe thing to do...then call the police.If you call the police just as the crime is underway, they might not get their in time & you will have a hefty repair bill at the best. I have an older car with a converter & found out that replacement would cost just about what they valued the car at. Soething wrong here as I’ve read that a converter’s actual valuable catalyst material is not nearly that much. The rest is mostly just steel. So...in other words what the thief receives is only a small part of what it will cost you for replacement. Try finding a shop that would weld a pipe in place of the converter & good luck. You may live in a state that has no inspection & get lucky. Here is an area where the feds could adjust to state laws on that, but good luck there too.
Well. These ones are enterprising enough to take a sawzall and climb under cars in the middle of the night to steal the things, and then transact them later for profit.
That requires some effort.
As an example of ignorance and thievery,
Just a day or two ago, I received an email attempting to persuade me to pay a past due bill to Norton. I laughed at it because it was so terribly inept. The thief had no real understanding of what he was attempting. He did a fairly good job of copying some Norton sales stuff.
He failed because he was ignorant
He used his email. He was 28513@@#$%?college.edu. I sent a copy to the chairman of the college board of trustees.
👍👍👍
Considering the weight of those battery packs (1,000 to 2,000lbs), that ain't gonna happen.
Probably never.
As far as I know they have no scrape value.
The only way I can think of that you could make a buck is if someone was willing to pay you to steal a specific battery to replace a failed one.
And considering how heavy the batteries are, you would have to take a fork lift with you on the job.
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