Crime & Safety

2 Arrested in Catalytic Converter Theft

St. Clair Shores police arrested two men April 3 after witnessing their attempt to steal a catalytic converter from a car. Two additional catalytic converters were recovered from their getaway vehicle.

Two men arrested this week by St. Clair Shores police on larceny and receiving stolen property charges have been arraigned in court. The men were arrested April 3 after a patrol officer witnessed them trying to remove a catalytic converter from a car on St. Margaret Street.

Police believe the men have been involved in stealing the units that are generally sold to scrap dealers for their valuable metal content for more than just the one car in which they were working on when spotted by the patrol officer.

The men were spotted by a patrol officer, approached and then ordered from their vehicle at gunpoint. The officer held the men at gunpoint with their arms up until backup officers arrived on the scene.

Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

During their arrest, a search of their vehicle revealed a bag of tools, including saws, and two additional catalytic converters.

Lt. Tim Keelan said unfortunately that particular piece of a vehicle is not labeled with any identifying information so investigators are not able to track down to whom they belong or connect the men to other similar thefts.

Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The men, ages 21 from Highland Park and 26 from Clinton Township, were each charged with one count each of larceny and receiving stolen property.

Officers on the scene alerted the owner of the car from which the men were attempting to remove the catalytic converter of the damage, according to a report. 

Thefts of catalytic converters have been plaguing the area. Grosse Pointe Farms police put out an alert Friday afternoon warning residents of two thefts that happened during the daylight.

Typically the crime happens at night because it requires the thief to get underneath the car to cut the piece from the vehicle with a saw or other cutting device. 

Meanwhile, St. Clair Shores police are investigating the theft of a catalytic converter from a Honda Element parked at Kmart March 31. The car's owner noticed it was missing after leaving the parking lot and reported the theft to police, according to a report.

In another case, a catalytic converter was stolen from a car parked in the 32000 block of Williamsburg Street April 3. The owner noticed her muffler hanging down after coming out of a nearby building and discovered the converter was missing, according to a report.

For questions on the police blotter, email sara.martin@patch.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.