The LoJack® System Helps Texas Department of Public Safety and Houston Police Recover Stolen Honda Accord and Uncover Chop Shop
- February 21, 2014
When a Honda Accord was stolen from its owner’s residence in Houston, TX, local law enforcement, assisted by the LoJack® system, located the car that same day. The recovery also resulted in the closing down of a possible chop shop operation inside a self-storage facility, and the recovery of several other stolen vehicles and numerous parts.
On February 12th, 2014, the Honda’s owner contacted the Houston Police Department and reported that his vehicle was stolen. Officers verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers. This procedure automatically activated the LoJack unit concealed in the Accord, which was installed at Herb Chambers Honda in Burlington, MA
A short while later, a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter picked up the homing signals from the stolen car on its onboard LoJack tracking computer. The aircrew tracked the Honda to a self-storage mini warehouse near Bissonnett and Wilcrest and contacted Houston PD for backup. Ground officers arrived and observed the Accord parked inside a storage unit at the facility, along with another stolen vehicle. Storage lot employees directed officers to two additional storage units rented by the same party.
Police contacted the owner of the storage facility who advised that the suspect had rented several additional storage units at this location Officers entered the units and observed car engines, tires wheels and various other parts, as well as five additional vehicles, several with falsified paper license plates. The renter of the units was summoned to the facility and taken into custody with another suspect. The total value of all vehicles and parts recovered was $60,000. The investigation is ongoing and several more arrests are expected. The Accord was retrieved and soon returned to its thankful owner.