We’ve seen car thieves steal tow trucks to then steal cars with greater ease, but in this case the tow truck driver allegedly decided to swipe cars himself. This is the sort of thing you hear a lot of wild accusations about on social media but it’s rare to find a concrete case, so when you do it’s shocking.
Michigan man high on meth steals a woodchipper truck and puppy, then leads police on a chase.
According to police, the tow truck driver decided to start hauling away cars parked on the streets of Philadelphia, taking them to a scrap yard where he allegedly was paid cash for each one.
Police also say the suspect, 44-year-old Lamar Miller, has used a tow truck to steal cars before. We’re honestly not even slightly shocked.
Philadelphia has been struggling with rampant car thefts, including carjackings, but 6ABC Philadelphia says police have launched a new campaign to fight the problem. This bust is apparently part of the push, with authorities saying auto thefts have fallen 44% so far this year.
Considering how bad the car theft issue has become in the city, we’d say authorities have a long way to go in getting it under control again, even with the recent progress. Not only do police need to catch thieves, prosecutors and judges need to get tough on them again. Far too often, car thieves in Philadelphia and far too many other cities are out of custody before the ink dries on the police report.
Still, we applaud anyone making concrete efforts to combat car theft and other crimes. For far too long we heard ridiculous excuses about why it should be overlooked, like the claim that insurance will just cover everything without consequences.
Image via 6ABC Philadelphia/YouTube
[…] slaying of a towing company owner outside a plaza in Toronto has placed more focus on the ties between organized crime and […]
[…] a Portland, Oregon man was caught using an old truck with a tow rig to scoop up and steal cars, selling them to a scrap yard. Now that man has learned he’ll be spending over six years in jail for his […]