Toyota Tundra Recovered with Help of Canine Officer; Suspect Found Hiding Under Truck
- March 16, 2012
On February 23, 2011, a Canine officer from the El Monte Police Department was on routine patrol when he received the silent LoJack signal of a 2004 Toyota Tundra reported stolen to the California Highway Patrol. He alerted other El Monte officers, who also had LoJack tracking capabilities installed in their patrol vehicle. The other El Monte unit tracked and located the Toyota Tundra, pulling into the driveway of a parking area.
When the driver of the stolen truck observed the officers, he drove back into the rear area of the lot. By the time the officers reached the rear parking area, the truck was unoccupied. Additional officers from El Monte responded and contained the surrounding vicinity. Police conducted a search of the area and located the suspect, hiding under a truck in a back lot. He was taken into custody without further incident. During the search of the suspect, officers located the victim’s credit card and key to the truck in the suspect’s pocket. The suspect was later booked for several felony charges.
Note: Portions of this story were obtained from the California Highway Patrol and El Monte Police Department