7 catalytic converter thefts in a single day in Delta, police say
Police in Delta say there has been another rise in the number of catalytic converter thefts occurring across the city, highlighted by seven thefts in a single day this week.
The converters, which are part of the exhaust system on gas-powered vehicles, reduce the amount of toxic gases that a vehicle emits into the air.
On Thursday, June 17, police were called to seven different reported catalytic converter thefts around the city. Details of the individual incidents were as follows.
- Two thefts were reported on Progress Way in Ladner
- Two separate businesses on Derwent Way in North Delta reported thefts
- A theft from an RV on Clivedon Place
- Two catalytic converters stolen from a Toyota truck parked in front of a residence on 74A Avenue
- One catalytic converter stolen from a vehicle on a driveway on 117 Street
Those incidents followed one on Friday, June 11, in a parking lot at Tsawwassen Mills shopping centre, according to Delta police.
In that incident, a truck owner reported to police that he had seen a man holding a battery-operated "sawzall" standing next to his vehicle.
“Not surprisingly, the vehicle owner thought the man with the saw looked suspicious,” said Delta police spokesperson Cris Leykauf, in the release.
“The man realized he was being watched and went under the truck, apparently then slicing the bottom corner of the fuel tank, causing a fuel leak," Leykauf added.
Police officers, firefighters and the truck owner captured approximately half of the fuel in large evidence bags, police said, adding that the suspect fled the scene in another vehicle.
Delta police say the theft of catalytic converters is "an ongoing issue across the region." Thieves steal the device, because the salvage price of the metal inside it is high.
"In some cases police are aware that individuals are also purchasing these sliced off catalytic converters, potentially for resale," Delta police said in their release.
According to police, vehicle owners can guard against catalytic converter theft by parking inside a garage or in a well-lit area, parking in a secured lot with a guard and in view of security cameras, and by reporting any suspicious activity they see.
"Police also continue to recommend that commercial fleet operators and owners of RVs and large trucks have their catalytic converters etched with the vehicle licence plate," police said in their release.
They're also encouraging people to consider having the catalytic converters on their personal vehicles etched.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.