For nearly a week, officers in the Southwest Precinct followed a trail of a suspected prolific car and identify thief until they finally caught him driving away from his mother’s house.
The search for the 46-year-old man began on October 10th when a member of the precinct’s Anti-Crime Team spotted the man driving a red Honda near 5th Avenue South and South Cloverdale in South Park. Recognizing the man, and knowing that he’s been associated with several auto theft cases in the area, the officer ran the Honda’s plates and found it was registered to someone else, though it was not reported stolen.
When the officer saw the vehicle again a short time later, the 46-year-old man sped away.
On the following day, October 11th, police learned the red Honda was later reported stolen from a Renton gas station. It was taken only a few hours before officers spotted it in South Park. It was later found in the garage of a vacant home in the 3100 block of Southwest Roxbury Street, missing numerous parts, including its hood, bumper and a front-end panel.
SPD officers began searching for the man and, on October 16th, found him driving away from his mother’s house. Police arrested him and found the car he was driving had suspiciously been stripped of its Vehicle Identification Number plates.
Police seized the vehicle and booked the man into the King County Jail for the theft of the red Honda.