Police hunt catalytic converter thieves: 1 arrested, 1 escapes

Arrests

During the chase, the couple smashed the windows of a neighbor’s car and threw objects at police, the BPD said.

A man pulled out a gun and possibly fired it Friday morning while trying to steal a catalytic converter, prompting a police chase through the Berkeley Hills, authorities say.

During the pursuit, the men threw objects at a Berkeley police officer and damaged his windshield, the BPD said. The officer was not injured.

In the end, one man was arrested and one escaped. The investigation is ongoing.

The incident occurred shortly before 6:30 a.m. Friday when Berkeley police received reports of an attempted theft of a catalytic converter in the 1600 block of Euclid Avenue, several blocks north of the UC Berkeley campus near Cedar Street.

Not only did the men pull out a gun and possibly fire it when they were disturbed, but police say they also smashed the windows of a neighbor’s car when he set off the alarm to get the men to leave.

Officers spotted the men fleeing the scene in a stolen vehicle, the BPD said. They began pursuing the car through the northeast Berkeley Hills.

The men jumped out of the stolen car and abandoned it on Wildcat Canyon Road near Woodhaven Road, police said, then fled on foot to Tilden Regional Park.

A BPD officer found one of the hidden men and arrested him without incident, police said.

He was identified as Ixil George Velasquez, 30, of Oakland.

During the search, Berkeley police called in drones and sniffer dogs from other law enforcement agencies, but at the time of this release they had not yet located the second man.

The BPD said they found “evidence of the crimes” in the stolen vehicle the men parked near Tilden.

“This is an ongoing investigation,” BPD said in a prepared statement Friday afternoon. “No further details will be released at this time.”

Catalytic converter thieves pull a gun during chase in Berkeley

Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise in Berkeley. We asked a car repair shop for their best tips for avoiding theft.

There has been a sharp increase in catalytic converter thefts in Berkeley in recent months.

On Thursday, police pursued an armed squad of catalytic converter thieves through South Berkeley, but were able to shake off the perpetrators in North Oakland.

The police are currently investigating whether there could be a connection between the incidents on Thursday and Friday.

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