“Mommy, they hurt my Tacoma!” I cried into the phone.
Before you jump to the conclusion that I am a momma’s boy, you should know that my mom and I are Toyota Tacoma pickup truck buddies. We don’t have matching jackets or anything, we just love our trucks.
Her Tacoma is newer, but I’ve had mine longer. The “Silver Bullet” is hers, a 2006 model that is usually coated with a thick layer of dust and speckled with bird droppings and tree sap. Mine is the “Love Princess,” a tasty black 1998 model with low miles that I keep as shiny as possible.
It’s something we have in common, which is kind of nice and we have fun with it. That’s one of the reasons I called my mom after my neighbor rang my doorbell last Thursday morning to inform me that my truck’s catalytic converter had just been stolen.
A catalytic converter is an exhaust component that cuts down the toxicity of an engine’s emissions. It is located under the vehicle between the engine and the muffler. Catalytic converters contain small amounts of valuable platinum and palladium, making them the target of thieves in recent years.
My neighbor Eric, who is in the military, had left for work earlier that morning but returned home because he forgot his driver’s license. He says he immediately knew what two strange men were doing to my truck because it happened to his brother a few years ago.
The two men had already unbolted my catalytic converter and were about to leave in a white pickup truck driven by a third man. The pickup truck took off, but Eric was able to follow them in his car while he called the police. He drives a new Mustang GT and was only happy to have the chance to give chase.
Rancho Cordova police, the California Highway Patrol and Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies all became involved in the pursuit. The pursuit ended a few miles from my house when the pickup truck slammed into a traffic light pole and knocked it down. The men abandoned their truck but were apprehended in the immediate area by a sheriff’s canine unit.
Back at the scene of the crime, Eric showed me the video and pictures of the crashed truck he took with his camera phone. A sheriff’s deputy arrived and interviewed me briefly. Another police cruiser pulled up, took my information again and called for the CSI unit to come by to dust for fingerprints.
We chatted with the officers for a while, and they explained that Toyota trucks were a popular target for these kinds of thefts. They said that they recovered four catalytic converters at the scene but would be unable to return mine right away because it was evidence. Now facing a bill of at least $800 to replace the converter, I called my insurance agent who arranged for the repair of my truck.
Being the victim of a crime is something new to me. I don’t like it, but it makes me think about what the world has become. Things could have turned out much different than they did. They could have had weapons, someone could have been hurt as they tried to elude the police, or they could have stolen the whole truck instead of just a small part of it.
As much as I love my truck, I realize that it is just a thing. But, it is a thing I earned myself and that I am proud of. I’ve been pretty lucky in life so far, but these criminals did more than steal my catalytic converter. They stole my peace of mind, and I will never be able to start my truck in the future without wondering if someone's going to steal it again.
On the Net
http://www.sacsheriff.com/media/0919_arrest.cfm
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5 comments:
Still sucks to have your car out of order, but at least they got some Karma backlash.. Did your insurance rates go up or was it OK since they were caught?
Greatest opening line to a column, EVER.
I just wanted to say that. I'll finish reading it and leave you another comment after.
Good column! My friend Ken had one stolen from under his truck, too. I really hate people sometimes.
Yea the same thing happened to me too in front of the Fountains at Point West apartments by the mall. I also had my gas syphoned there, but the criminals left the cap on the ground thankfully. I totally understand. But, it was cool having my truck sound very manly for a while!
Nicely done column.
It reads very easy and the touches about mom and son having Toyota Tacomas in common is the kind of stuff that is difficult to make up.
The column could have thrown in more details about the chase and the fallout - keeping the converter as evidence.
I mean really, as if a photo of the converter won't be as good? Can you imagine them hauling this dirty piece of exhaust system into court and pointing at it like a murder weapon?
Anyway, opportunity missed I think, but overall, very well done.
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