An early morning catalytic converter heist caught on video has put a Los Angeles neighborhood on high alert.
Home security footage shows a crew of three masked individuals wearing hooded sweatshirts pull up next to a parked Toyota Prius in a white BMW SUV just before 4 a.m. on Sept. 16.
Unfazed by the security cameras recording nearby, the crew flipped on their vehicle’s high beams to illuminate the car.
The footage shows one of the suspects stooping down to inspect a second SUV parked directly behind the Prius, looking underneath before deciding to move on.
Working quickly, the crew managed to steal the catalytic converter from the Prius in about four minutes before speeding away.
William Fiero, an electrician living across the street, captured the entire heist on his home security system. He was victimized two years ago when thieves stole his car, catalytic converter, and power tools.
“It’s funny how the cars start disappearing at the same time these guys find your neighborhood,” Fiero told Eyewitness News.
“So it’s first the catalytic converters and then extra parts for other vehicles. So who’s getting these catalytic converters—the recycling plant or the mechanics?,” he said.
Catalytic converters remain a primary target for automotive thieves because they contain valuable precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium, which can be quickly harvested and sold for scrap value.
“They get in there so quick and get out so quick, but the fact that they’re willing to kill for recycling metal, it’s just… they put no value on human life,” Fiero told the news outlet.
In May 2024, when former “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor was shot and killed in Downtown Los Angeles after unexpectedly interrupting thieves targeting his vehicle’s catalytic converter.
