Corvettes & Camaros Recovered During CA Chop-Shop Raid
Ten Camaros and two Corvettes were in the process of being dismantled for parts, police said.
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Police in California raided a "chop shop" and recovered more than $600,000 worth of Chevy Camaros, Corvettes, and dismantled parts, earlier in March, officials said.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) San Joaquin County Auto Theft Task Force led an investigation that resulted in a bust on the afternoon of March 11. The illegal operation specialized in high-end Camaros and Corvettes. Ten Camaros and two Chevy Corvettes were recovered. Three men were arrested.
Leading up to the arrests, the task force (comprised of CHP, San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, San Joaquin County DA's Office, Stockton PD, Tracy PD, Manteca PD, and the San Joaquin County Probation Department) executed a search warrant regarding an auto theft investigation. The warrant was executed at a rural property in Tracy, California. The search uncovered an operation that was in the middle of dismantling several Chevy muscle cars.
Aside from the dozen vehicles found in various stages of disassembly, cops also uncovered a stash of stolen parts. Camaro and Corvette doors, seats, and hoods were found around the property, as well as what appears to be an LT1 V-8 attached to a TREMEC manual transmission.
Two men were arrested on the property and a third man was located and arrested in nearby Manteca, California. All three suspects were booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on charges of operating a chop shop and stolen vehicle possession.
According to the CHP, 202,802 vehicles worth over $1.8 billion were stolen in California in 2023. Last year a vehicle was stolen at a rate of one every 2 minutes and 36 seconds. The most commonly stolen cars were the 2015 Kia Optima and 2000 Honda Civic. The average loss value per vehicle was $8,876. The average value of the vehicles recovered in this chop shop operation was apparently considerably higher.
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Source: Joe Kucinski - Road & Track
Posted 4/5/24