Union City Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Catalytic Converter Theft

UNION CITY, CA — Police arrested a man in connection with the theft of a catalytic converter from a vehicle that was parked in a shopping center in Union City last month.

Officers received a call from the suspected theft victim on Oct. 5. The victim had obtained a video that captured two suspects working together to remove her car's catalytic converter while it was parked in the Union Landing shopping complex, according to the Union City Police Department.

The two suspects were seen fleeing in a gold Hyundai Sonata, police said.

The next day, officers spotted the suspect vehicle in the same parking lot and approached 25-year-old Johnny Mitchel.

Mitchel was identified as one of the suspects of the theft the day before, police said. The victim's catalytic converter was later found in Mitchel's Hyundai, police said.

Mitchel was arrested on suspicion of theft and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Catalytic converter theft is rampant across the Bay Area, with instances of such theft reported each month.

In Livermore, a police investigation into catalytic converter thefts resulted in the discovery of a suspected theft ring operating in California and Oregon, officials said last week.

READ MORE: Livermore Police: 30 Linked To 'Theft Ring,' $91K Recovered