HOUSTON – One northwest side business owner says he is at his wit’s end because crooks keep breaking into the lot of his car dealership to steal catalytic converters, and vandalize vehicles.
He now has a stack of police reports that date back years but tells KPRC 2 so far, not one person responsible has been brought to justice.
”See that, they cut this [gate] at the bottom, and they pull this back,” said Houston Auto Finance owner, Mostafa Ahmadi adding he’s beyond frustrated.
”This is not the first time it’s happened. It happens, maybe every three months,” he said.
He says he’s been in the car business for about four decades, about nine years at his location on North Loop West Freeway.
Since opening there, he says he’s had more than 100 catalytic converters stolen off vehicles in the lot.
”These are gone, that one gone. All these cars in the front, they’re all gone,” he said.
The most recent hit Wednesday night targeted at least nine vehicles.
”Each one of them. The real money it costs to get it fixed averages between like $500 to $3,000,” Ahmadi said.
That’s not including the cost to repair other damages like broken windows and stolen bumpers.
Ahmadi says the thieves never seem to mind the network of a half dozen surveillance cameras, or that they’ve been caught red-handed.
”Last time, the guy just look at the camera and pulled it from the wall right there,” he said.
Other security measures don’t seem to deter thieves either.
“I had dogs one time, they shoot the dog,” he said.
Right now, Senator Paul Bettencourt is working on legislation that would allow someone to be arrested on the spot if they’re found with catalytic converters and don’t have a reason.
”The theft of catalytic converters has gotten to the point where we’ve had off-duty deputy sheriffs shot and killed. There’s clearly criminal rings involved and it’s all about the money,” Bettencourt said.
As HPD investigators search for whoever is responsible in Ahmadi’s cases, they advise vehicle owners to etch the last four numbers of the vehicles’ VIN into catalytic converters and paint them red to deter criminals.
You can also request police detail to sit outside of repeatedly targeted businesses.
Ahmadi says the crimes have cost him so much throughout the years, it’s getting to the point where he’s thinking of closing his business.