A car owner from Houston, Texas, shot one of the two thieves he caught stealing the catalytic converter of his vehicle. The incident happened Saturday morning.
Investigators said that the car owner heard some noise at around 5 a.m., and when he went out to check what it was, he saw the thieves, both men, and confronted them. A witness said that one of the thieves had a power drill and he tried to approach the car owner. It was when the car owner fired a shot, hitting the thief.
The suspect who was shot was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries. The other suspect was arrested. It was not stated by police if charges will be filed. The identities of the suspects were not released by authorities.
This is not the first time that someone tried to steal a catalytic converter. According to reports, such cases are increasing in the United States. Many people these days are looking into stealing a catalytic converter as it is an anti-pollution device and has precious metals inside it. The precious metals are removed and sold.
In 2018, there were 85 reports relating to stealing catalytic converters in Houston, Texas. In 2019, it rose to 375. A dramatic increase was recorded in 2020 as 1,793 cases were reported. And for this year, as of June 2021, there have already been 2,207 reports related to this matter.
