Catalytic Converter Arrest
updated: Dec 08, 2012, 10:01 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

Thanks to some sharp eyed neighbors near La Colina Jr. High, three men were arrested around 3am on Saturday morning for stealing catalytic converters. This may be the group responsible for the recent string of thefts. Along with drugs and tools, one catalytic converter was found in the suspects car, while one Toyota truck was being worked on when law enforcement arrived. Big thanks to vigilant neighbors, the CHP, and the SBPD.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 351701	2012-12-08 10:07 AM
great!
COMMENT 351720	2012-12-08 10:53 AM
Good job, caught in the act too! Anyone know how much they get for cats to make it worth the risk to them? I have tossed many cats over the years never realizing they were worth something. I just recycled them because of the metal.
COMMENT 351727	2012-12-08 11:30 AM
Depends on how old they are, how big they are, and what kind of car they came off of, but you can find them sold for scrap on flebay for $30-$200 each.
COMMENT 351728P	2012-12-08 11:41 AM
Yay!!!!
COMMENT 351729	2012-12-08 11:45 AM
Your converter has about 1/10 ounce of platinum. Commodity market price of platinum is about $1500 per ounce. It is easily removed from the converter. I have no idea what the "wholesale " price is or where to sell it, but If I stole it for a living, I could find out. If you buy a used converter on ebay for 35 bucks, it surely has the precious metal removed. You need that catalyst to make the catalytic converter work. In the way old days the platinum catalyst sometimes disappeared from the hydrogen generator used to fill up the big weather balloons. Helium now.
COMMENT 351737	2012-12-08 12:55 PM
Are you sure that was near La Colina Junior High and not La Colina Street? At 3:30am, my husband and I witnessed several cops walking around with flashlights on Lee Dr, near La Colina Street. They were looking at cars and close up to the street. It look like they were looking for evidence, we guessed that was ditched. I made a post on Edhat, asking what happened, but never saw the post.
COMMENT 351748	2012-12-08 01:49 PM
I've always been suspicious of the claims that catalytic converters are stolen for their metal. Certainly they would be worth more in the form of a catalytic converter than the raw rare metal within. If you've ever taken a look at an old catalytic converter, you'll see the honeycomb structure within is seriously eroded. At that point, they can't be worth very much, even as meltdown.
COMMENT 351750P	2012-12-08 02:20 PM
Great job neighbors and cops! I can't wait to see the booking photos.
COMMENT 351769	2012-12-08 04:28 PM
Would love to see the shameful mug shots.
COMMENT 351861	2012-12-09 07:41 AM
Those thieves stole my son's catalytic converter last week. They owe us $300!
FLICKA	2012-12-09 07:54 AM
I've read the value is in the metal. Could anyone give us an educated answer? I'd also like to see the mugs.
COMMENT 351874	2012-12-09 08:10 AM
And now for punishment put those thieves in the place of a catalytic converter. Input in the mouth. Output... Well you get the idea.
COMMENT 351875	2012-12-09 08:11 AM
They are worth 35 dollars each or a small amount of meth.
COMMENT 351925	2012-12-09 10:26 AM
Mugs please. We need to know what to look for. Surely there is a ring leader and more are soon to follow in short order. Maybe Meth related? The meth look is trending this year.

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