SAN LEANDRO — A suspected catalytic converter thief was arrested Tuesday morning after authorities said he struck a police officer with his vehicle before ramming his way out of a gated parking garage and was pursued into Oakland where he was captured, authorities said.
A second suspect was able to escape and is being sought.
The officer suffered a minor injury to his leg, but did not require medical assistance, police said.
Police responded at about 5:50 a.m. Tuesday to the 1100 block of Carpentier Street for a report of a catalytic converter theft in progress. Arriving officers found that the suspects and getaway vehicle were trapped inside the complex’s gated parking garage.
Officers established a perimeter and attempted to defuse the incident by deploying stop sticks at the gate, police said. But the vehicle was able to drive off, striking the officer and ramming through the gate, police said.
San Leandro police pursued the suspect into Oakland near High Street and arrested the driver but the other suspect was not captured.
The name of the man arrested has not been released.
Lt. Ali Khan said police recovered the stolen converter.
Khan said “We are grateful that our officer did not sustain significant injuries after being struck by the suspects’ vehicle. Our officers attempted to de-escalate the incident by deploying spike strips and apprehending the suspects before entering their vehicle. The suspects showed total disregard for human life as they hit an officer and rammed the secured gate to escape.”
At 7:40 a.m., police also responded to another catalytic converter theft in the 300 block of Pershing Drive. Arriving officers located the suspect vehicle but did not pursue it due to public safety concerns.
Police said that regionally and in San Leandro, there has been a significant increase in catalytic converter thefts. So far this year, San Leandro has seen a 65% increase in such thefts from 2020. A monthly average comparison to 2019 is showing an increase of 431 per cent, police said.
Police said catalytic converters are targeted for theft because of the precious metals they contain.
Vehicle owners can protect their catalytic converters by installing after-market guard plates under their vehicles, police said.
Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this report.