Witness catches catalytic converter thieves in the act in broad daylight on Northwest Side
The witness, Grace, says Chicago Police arrived within minutes – but the catalytic converter crew was gone.
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The witness, Grace, says Chicago Police arrived within minutes – but the catalytic converter crew was gone.
CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar spoke Thursday to the brave witness who shot the video.
The crash happened Friday morning near Kedzie and Belden avenues.
The thefts happened in the Irving Park, Avondale, Dunning, and Montclaire areas.
The man’s catalytic converter was cut, but was not taken from his car, police said.
The man's catalytic converter was cut, but was not taken from his car, police said.
The Wienermobile was parked outside a hotel in Las Vegas at the time.
Alderman Byron Shigcho-Lopez and the Chicago Police Department are working together to spray-paint and register catalytic converters.
Alderman Byron Shigcho-Lopez and the Chicago Police Department are working together to spray-paint and register catalytic converters.
Police say five CPD vehicles were damaged at the South Shore Cultural Center.
The buses were parked in the Lakeview Bus Line lot in Bellwood when the parts were stolen overnight.
Police said they recovered a total of 128 stolen catalytic converters with a value of around $54,000.
The thieves sped away after shots were fired by an off-duty Chicago Police officer. CBS 2's Tara Molina reports.
The thieves sped away in multiple getaway cars, and crashed into parked cars while doing so. CBS 2's Tara Molina reports.
The effort is meant to prevent thieves from being able to resell the valuable part.
One western suburb is fighting back against catalytic converter thieves, but they need residents to help.
Staff members from Cassidy Tire and Services will hand paint the ID number for free to your catalytic converter.
Chicago saw more than 15,000 stolen cars in 2022, a stark increase from pervious years.
Adrian Munoz quickly jumped on his bed and out of the line of fire. But those bullets went right into the bedroom wall, landing right in the living room.
A Chicago police officer is injured during an attempted catalytic converter theft on the city's Northwest Side Friday morning.
The FBI said the stolen converters were shipped to a New Jersey company, which extracted precious metals and sold them to a refinery.
Owners who register on the city's website can have identification numbers spray-painted on their car's catalytic converter.
There have been half a dozen thefts within a period of a week in the Dunning, Norwood Park, and Portage Park communities.
Skokie is trying a relatively new approach to stopping catalytic converter thefts.
Even though this attack happened in broad daylight and neighbors tried to step in, the thieves were still successful anyway.
