Overview
- Baldwin Park police, working with multiple agencies, carried out the Norwalk operation Tuesday, arresting four people and recovering roughly 1,800 converters valued at about $500,000.
- One suspect escaped during the raid and left behind a child who was later reunited with a parent, and that person remains at large.
- The investigation began in July after a sharp rise in thefts, included early arrests that netted illegal guns and stolen cars, and widened by November as cases picked back up across nearby cities.
- Detectives identified a South Los Angeles site where stolen converters were being bought and a Norwalk site used for storage, and they also seized four vehicles as evidence.
- Thieves prize catalytic converters for the precious metals inside, and replacing a stolen unit often costs drivers $1,500 to $2,000.