Elk Grove Police arrest man for catalytic converter theft. Why is the car part so valuable?
Elk Grove Police arrested a Sacramento man last week in connection with an October vehicle theft, in which the alleged thieves ditched the vehicle after removing its catalytic converter.
Richard Vang, 38, was arrested last Friday at his home and faces numerous charges after a probation search turned up burglary tools, the Elk Grove Police Department said this week in a Facebook post.
The case stemmed from an Oct. 2 theft on Bull Mountain Circle, where a vehicle was stolen from a victim’s residence and driven to a nearby location. Multiple suspects then allegedly removed the catalytic converter before abandoning the vehicle at that spot, according to the Facebook post.
A photo of the burglary tools posted by Elk Grove Police shows multiple car jacks, a crowbar, pliers, drills and other power tools.
Vang was booked into the Sacramento County jail on charges of motor vehicle theft, removing vehicle parts, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy, probation violation and drug-related charges, police said. His bail is set at $50,000, jail records show.
The department described Vang as “one of the suspects” in the incident, but it was unknown how many suspects may remain outstanding.
Catalytic converters, which connect the engine and tailpipe along a vehicle’s undercarriage, are frequently sought by thieves because they contain a precious metal called palladium. Authorities and news outlets throughout California reported last April that converter thefts were spiking because the value of palladium had gone up, exceeding that of gold for the first time since 2002. Recently, at the start of 2020, palladium has hit a new all-time high, with some metal market websites pricing it more than 30 percent more valuable gold.
Car experts and police warn that the Toyota Prius is particularly vulnerable to catalytic converter thefts.
Sacramento and Elk Grove police have advised drivers to park their cars in secure, well-lit areas and inside garages when possible. Police can also engrave the vehicle identification number of license plate number on the converter, to aid law enforcement in tracking down the stolen property if it is recovered.
The Elk Grove Police Department said on social media that it helped etch more than 75 vehicles during an event in partnership with the Brake Masters repair shop on Saturday.
