Several Osseo school district buses damaged by catalytic converter thief
OSSEO, Minn. – Some parents in the Osseo school district got notices Monday that their child's bus could be late because of thefts over the holiday weekend.
Police say 20 First Student buses were damaged and 10 had their catalytic converters stolen.
"Everybody was off for the long holiday weekend, and Monday morning they came back and found that they had 20 buses that were tampered with, it turns out 10 catalytic converters were stolen," said Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Elliott Faust.
Thieves nationwide have been on a binge of thefts, reselling metals from converters for hundreds of dollars. Replacing the converter can cost more than $2,000.
Brooklyn Park, like so many communities, has been dealing with a wave of catalytic converter thefts, and police have been very aggressive about getting information out to the public. The city has had more than 350 thefts just this year.
Last week, the department posted a video shot from a Brooklyn Park hotel window.
"They essentially just saw the gentleman get out with a large metal cutting saw, slide under the vehicle, and zip the catalytic converter right off," Faust said. "He hid the catalytic converter in his jacket as he made his way out, jumped in his car and took off."
Police say buses and large trucks are common targets because their height makes it easier to get under the vehicle.
Osseo Area Schools did not return our phone calls, and neither did the bus company. Investigators don't have any suspects right now.
