Bait car thief leads police to chop shop
FIFE, Wash. -- A thief got more than he bargained for when he stole a car last week.
It was a bait car. That's a car the cops rigged with a tracking device and a camera to catch car thieves.
But when Fife police caught up to their bait car, they also got more than they expected.
It started early Friday morning when someone took the bait and drove off with the cops' car. A camera captured the driver looking nervous at times, and hitting a dead-end in a parking lot.
But once he got out on the open road, the driver revved the engine and strapped on his seat belt. He had no idea that he had stolen a bait car.
Police officers were not only recording his picture, dispatch was also sending officers his way. The thief had just enough time to get to his destination and start celebrating.
"Hey, I think it's another Vtec," he called to someone off-camera. "I could feel the kick."
Then, after taking a closer look, he sounded even more excited.
"Vtec! Vtec!" he yelled.
Lt. Tom Thompson described what happens next, off camera.
"Once they pop the hood open, we have our tracker in the engine compartment and it has a little red flashing light on it," he said.
"Hey, dog, what is that, dog?" someone said.
Right then, someone else said, "Oh, cops."
And officers yelled, "Stop where you are, now!"
The suspects took off running. But what they left behind is a big find for police.
It was a chop shop where thieves strip cars and sell the parts. There was a wheelbarrow full of miscellaneous parts. There were engines, seats, dashboards and bumpers scattered in the yard, the garage and the house.
There were two stolen cars. One of them was reported stolen just 11 hours earlier, but it was already stripped down to the frame.
"We know they've been doing this for awhile," Thompson said of the theft ring. "But the fact is, these guys are so organized and they work so quickly that they could steal this much stuff in a week."
Some of the parts were from cars reported stolen in 2004 and 2005.
But this time, they stole the wrong car. The man who stole the bait car as well as a second man were arrested.
Police are looking for two more who left their ID cards behind.
It was a bait car. That's a car the cops rigged with a tracking device and a camera to catch car thieves.
But when Fife police caught up to their bait car, they also got more than they expected.
It started early Friday morning when someone took the bait and drove off with the cops' car. A camera captured the driver looking nervous at times, and hitting a dead-end in a parking lot.
But once he got out on the open road, the driver revved the engine and strapped on his seat belt. He had no idea that he had stolen a bait car.
Police officers were not only recording his picture, dispatch was also sending officers his way. The thief had just enough time to get to his destination and start celebrating.
"Hey, I think it's another Vtec," he called to someone off-camera. "I could feel the kick."
Then, after taking a closer look, he sounded even more excited.
"Vtec! Vtec!" he yelled.
Lt. Tom Thompson described what happens next, off camera.
"Once they pop the hood open, we have our tracker in the engine compartment and it has a little red flashing light on it," he said.
"Hey, dog, what is that, dog?" someone said.
Right then, someone else said, "Oh, cops."
And officers yelled, "Stop where you are, now!"
The suspects took off running. But what they left behind is a big find for police.
It was a chop shop where thieves strip cars and sell the parts. There was a wheelbarrow full of miscellaneous parts. There were engines, seats, dashboards and bumpers scattered in the yard, the garage and the house.
There were two stolen cars. One of them was reported stolen just 11 hours earlier, but it was already stripped down to the frame.
"We know they've been doing this for awhile," Thompson said of the theft ring. "But the fact is, these guys are so organized and they work so quickly that they could steal this much stuff in a week."
Some of the parts were from cars reported stolen in 2004 and 2005.
But this time, they stole the wrong car. The man who stole the bait car as well as a second man were arrested.
Police are looking for two more who left their ID cards behind.