2 catalytic converters, GPS unit stolen from cars in Ypsilanti
There were three larcenies from vehicles reported in Ypsilanti Thursday.
A catalytic converter still attached to a car.
AnnArbor.com file photo
At 10 a.m., a catalytic converter was stolen from a car in the 1000 block of Louise Street, according to Ypsilanti police.
Another larceny from a vehicle was reported at 1 p.m. A GPS unit was taken from a parked vehicle in the 100 block of North Normal Street at some point overnight.
A second catalytic converter was reported stolen from a vehicle parked in a lot in the 10 block of North Huron Street at 8:17 p.m. There are no suspects at this time.
View Ypsilanti vehicle larcenies in a larger map
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Hockeygirl115
Sun, Sep 9, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.
RJA, its an apartment complex, not too many cars and not enough garages!
Cathy
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:39 p.m.
I'd bet dollars to donuts that the perpetrators have lengthy criminal records. Keep thieves in prison, please.
RJA
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 4:34 a.m.
To many cars, and not enough garages.
rs
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 7:36 p.m.
Catalytic converters have trace amounts of platinum in them, that's why they are expensive. Platinum prices typically hover around $1500 ~$1600 per ounce, so you know there isn't a lot in there, but apparently there's enough to make them a target.
Subroutine
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 6:25 p.m.
Why do people steal catalytic converters and how do they remove them without alerting anyone? Do they just squirm under these cars and tear these things off with hand tools or are there power tools and car jacks involved? Seems like it would take a fair amount of work and noise for little gain. Or is the value of a catalytic converter much more than I would think?
dading dont delete me bro
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 6:54 p.m.
@subroutine, "Why do people steal catalytic converters..." ? the internal honeycomb shaped metal (platinum) is EXTREMELY valuable. "...how do they remove them without alerting anyone?" torches, sawzall, possibly unbolt them (sawzall would be noisy and unbolting them might be impossible and time consuming) "Do they just squirm under these cars and tear these things..." yep, pretty much "...little gain. Or is the value of a catalytic converter much more than I would think?" see answer to your first question.
Cory
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 6:50 p.m.
Cats are worth $80-$100 a pop, most cars have at least 2 of them. They can be removed with a tool called a pipe-cutter. It's fairly silent, and most SUV's have enough ground clearance that you can scoot underneath one. The whole process of making 2 cuts takes all of 3 minutes. So, 3 minutes crawling around a car and you're $200 richer. That's why it's happening. Unfortunately that means the owner has to pay for 2 (or more) new $800+ cats.