California homeowner stabs man to death with a kitchen knife after he allegedly tried to steal his catalytic converter



A homeowner awoke to find a group of people allegedly trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car, and he stabbed one of them to death with a kitchen knife during a confrontation.

The incident unfolded at about 2:40 a.m. at a home on the 1100 block of Thienes Avenue in South El Monte, a city east of Los Angeles of about 100,000 people.

Lt. Michael Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that the homeowner was reportedly awakened by a commotion in his driveway.

The homeowner confronted the three suspects, and an altercation ensued. Police said one of the suspects was stabbed by the homeowner, but the other two fled the scene in an older Honda Accord.

The suspect was found stabbed in the driveway and was pronounced dead by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Police said the deceased suspect was aged between 45 and 50 years old.

Gomez said investigators found a hacksaw and other mechanical tools at the scene. Deputies are canvassing the area in search of security cameras that might have caught footage of the suspects.

KTLA-TV said the LAPD had detained the homeowner for questioning.

State Farm, the largest insurance company in California, said it paid out $62 million in catalytic converter thefts in 2021, and the company expects 2022 to be far worse.

In a similar story from 2021, a man who was allegedly trying to steal a catalytic converter died when the Prius fell on top of him and crushed him to death in Anaheim, California. A bystander found a scissor jack and a power cutting tool laying on the ground next to his body.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

Would-be catalytic converter thief stabbed to death www.youtube.com

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Police say a man trying to steal a catalytic converter was crushed to death when the car fell on top of him



Police in Anaheim, California, say that a suspected auto parts thief was killed when he was crushed by a car whose catalytic converter he was trying to steal.

The incident was reported to police about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Witness Sean Harp, who works at a business at the complex where the man died, described the grim scene to a news cameraman.

Harp said that a "pretty frantic" person went into the business where he worked to tell him that someone had been crushed under one of their vehicles outside. They called 911 and went to investigate.

"So I walked down there and I saw what appeared to be a caucasian gentleman with his torso underneath the vehicle with his feet and limbs, legs exposed, and it was evident that he was crushed," Harp said.

"You know in recent weeks we've had a rash of catalytic converters stolen out of the complex here," he added.

Harp said he saw a cordless Sawzall cutting device next to the man, and it appeared that the car fell because the small scissor jack holding it up was poorly secured.

Harp said what he saw was "really indicative of people going in underneath vehicles and just cutting parts off that they need and selling it."

Thieves target catalytic converters because they can resell precious metals from their components. Officials say that catalytic converter thefts skyrocketed by 400% in 2020 from the previous year.

Police said that a catalytic converter and a power saw were found in a vehicle that crashed after a police chase in nearby Garden Grove. The two drivers died in the crash and also caused the death of an innocent bystander.

Catalytic converter thieves target Toyota Priuses because they carry more of the valuable metals, and also midsize SUV vehicles because they are easier to get underneath, owing to their higher carriage. Some car owners thwart converter robberies by adding security devices to their cars.

Here's the local news video about the incident:

Suspected auto parts thief killed when car falls on him in Anaheim, police saywww.youtube.com