PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two people are in custody and more arrests are coming after a series of chop shop raids by police, according to officials.
Authorities said they’ve been hot on the tailpipes of a car theft ring, raiding four locations and seizing cars — and parts — stolen just days ago.
“We're out here at Ninth and Ontario [streets] with a search warrant for a property here at 3325 North Ninth Street. During our investigation, we discovered that this is a chop shop. We recovered six stolen autos that are totally disassembled,” said Capt. Robert McKeever, commanding officer of the major crimes unit.
“One car was stolen three days ago and it's a complete shell. We had another car that was stolen four days ago, it's a complete shell, all Honda products. This is part of an ongoing investigation that me and my team have been handling through major crimes.”
Police said the other three locations were also in North Philadelphia. “We have two individuals in custody, but there will be more arrests made,” said McKeever, who indicated the ring is specifically targeting Hondas, using a machine that programs keyfobs.
“How they're stealing these cars, and they're stealing a lot of cars this way, is they use what they call an all-tail machine,” he explained. “An all-tail machine plugs into the ODB port underneath the dash, and they reprogram the keyfob, and then they drive away in their car.”
There is currently an effort in the state legislature to criminalize unauthorized use of the machines.
“There's only two legitimate reasons to have an all-tail machine,” said McKeever, “whether you're a mechanic or you're a locksmith. That's it.”
