According to officials, a man who was reportedly attempting to steal her catalytic converter was accidentally run over and killed by a Californian woman.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that thefts of catalytic converters have seen a shocking increase of 1,200 percent in recent years, attributed to the valuable and highly coveted metals they contain.
Presently, an individual who was supposedly trying to acquire these metals through theft has met his demise.
According to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, the woman who remains unidentified was asleep in her Ford Excursion parked in a Palmdale shopping center when she unintentionally ran over and fatally injured the man.
On Tuesday (February 14) before 6:00 pm local time, a group of four purported thieves arrived alongside the woman in her SUV.
The vehicle that pulled up alongside the woman's contained two men and two women, and it is believed that one of the men got out of the car.
Authorities have stated that the man, who remains unnamed, crawled underneath the woman's SUV and commenced sawing off the catalytic converter.
The press release claimed: "The victim woke up from the sound, turned the car on, put the vehicle in reverse, and felt a bump like she ran something over."
Immediately following the incident, the woman brought her car to a halt and dialed 911, with the purported thief still lying beneath the vehicle.
Upon arriving at the car park situated on the 39000 block of 10th Street West in Palmdale, officers discovered the Ford partially pulled out of a parking space with the man still situated beneath it.
In the meantime, the car of the supposed thieves remained parked immediately adjacent to the larger SUV.
The three individuals believed to be involved (two women and one man) were promptly apprehended at the location, while the man who had been run over was rushed to Antelope Valley Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
This account occurs only a week following an incident in which catalytic converter thieves targeted one of the most conspicuous vehicles in the United States.
Indeed, the emblematic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was victimized by thieves on February 9th while it was stationary in the parking lot of Sonesta Suites located on Paradise Road in Las Vegas.
The crew realized that something was amiss on February 10th when they were unable to start the vehicle, and mechanics had to subsequently install a makeshift catalytic converter.
In recent years, the theft of catalytic converters has become a significant issue in the United States, prompting law enforcement to offer advice to drivers.
Law enforcement suggests several measures to safeguard your catalytic converter, including installing a protective cover, parking indoors, and choosing well-lit areas to park your vehicle.
