(PIC) LoJack® System Helps Phoenix Police Department Recover Stolen Chevrolet Corvette
- September 26, 2014
The owners of a Chevrolet Corvette contacted the Surprise Police Department to report that their vehicle had been stolen from their residence with the keys during a home burglary. The owners were in Canada and the housekeeper discovered that the vehicle and other personal items were missing.
The Surprise Police Department verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Chevrolet Corvette.
A short while later officers from the Phoenix Police Department picked up the silent LoJack® homing signals from the stolen Chevrolet with the LoJack® Police Tracking Computers (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft. Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the officers tracked the vehicle to a residence near Central Avenue and Union Hills Drive in Phoenix.
The Corvette was unoccupied and parked in a driveway. The Phoenix Police auto theft detectives responded and set up surveillance. A short time later, a male subject entered the Corvette and drove away. With the use of the Phoenix Police helicopter and the LoJack® System, a covert surveillance was conducted on the Corvette as it travelled approximately forty miles from northeast Phoenix to Buckeye. The Corvette exited I-10 at Watson and pulled into a parking lot of a large retail store. The male suspect was able to get inside the store before officers could apprehend him. Multiple police agencies assisted in setting up a perimeter and searching for the suspect. The suspect was later apprehended in the Tire Center of the retail store.
During the search of the Corvette, officers found a handgun and a wallet belonging to the suspect. The wallet contained the suspect’s driver license and a fictitious identification. The suspect was booked on numerous felony charges. The Corvette was towed from the scene for safekeeping and later returned to the owners in good condition. The Surprise Police Department is conducting additional investigation into the home burglary.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Chevrolet Corvette in September, 2002.