Police investigate attempted catalytic converter theft at Irish Hills auto repair shop

WOODSTOCK TWP. — Michigan State Police are investigating an attempted theft of a catalytic converter from a vehicle parked at an auto repair shop.

Shortly after 3 a.m. Sept. 24, people attempted to steal a catalytic converter from a vehicle parked at Irish Hills Collision, 14221 W. U.S. 12 near Brooklyn, a news release from the Michigan State Police Monroe Post said. The incident was captured by a security camera system on the business property.

Through investigative leads and video from the security system, it was determined a pickup drove onto the property at 3:09 a.m., the release said. Shortly after, a person was seen on camera walking over to a parked vehicle and crawling underneath it. The suspect vehicle is described as a mid-2000s, white four-door pickup with half doors in the rear, possibly a Chevrolet Silverado. The truck also had a white tonneau cover and no visible registration plate.

The person captured in the video appeared to be male, wearing a dark-colored, hooded sweatshirt. The person began to remove the catalytic converter from the parked vehicle with a cutting tool but stopped abruptly after being startled by a nearby neighbor who heard the incident, the release said. The person retreated to the white pickup and fled the scene with the driver at 3:15 a.m.

Catalytic converters are part of a vehicle's exhaust system. They contain metals that are valuable to thieves.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact Trooper Tyler Rutkowski of the Michigan State Police Monroe Post at 734-242-3500.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Police investigate attempted catalytic converter theft