Thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles in Athens continued this week as the emission control devices were stolen from nine cars Wednesday morning from Athens Auto Auction on Atlanta Highway.
The thefts occurred less than two weeks after 19 catalytic converters were stolen from vehicles at Phil Hughes Honda, also on Atlanta Highway.
Police said thieves are targeting the devices for the precious metals they contain, particularly platinum.
They issued an alert about such thefts a day after Phil Hughes was hit.
“With the price of precious metals skyrocketing, thieves are helping themselves to catalytic converters that contain enough platinum, palladium or rhodium to make it worth the risk to cut it from the underbelly of your vehicle,” said the alert issued by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
Platinum on Friday was selling for slightly more than $1,000 per ounce.
Sgt. Randy Garrett, supervisor of the westside Property Crimes Unit, said checks with area scrap yards indicated the stolen catalytic converters were not being sold locally. That could mean the thieves are coming from out of the county or someone locally is acting as a middle man, buying the auto parts from area thieves and selling them in metro Atlanta or even out of state.
However much thieves might receive from a scrap yard for a catalytic converter is nothing compared to the cost to the victim. Garrett said replacement costs for the devices can run as high as $1,500 or more.
Many people realize they’d been victimized upon starting their vehicles and hearing a their exhaust systems roar from the opening created by where the catalytic converters used to be.
Thieves in Athens began stealing catalytic converters from multiple vehicles in a single night two years ago. They targeted vehicles at student housing complexes and the two hospitals. Using battery-powered saws, police said, it takes just a few minutes for thieves to cut catalytic converters from vehicle exhaust systems.
SUVs have been the favored targets, police said, mostly because their higher ground clearance makes it easier for thieves to work underneath the vehicles.
At Athens Auto Auction this week, however, the thieves cut catalytic converters from passenger cars. Garrett said the auction place, located in the most-western part of the county, sits back from the roadway and is not as well lit as car dealerships and other parking lots.
“Maybe they felt in this particular location they had more concealment and it gave them more time to work,” Garrett said.
Police said video from a surveillance camera showed two men climbing the auto auction’s fence and carrying a bag that possibly contained a power saw. The video did provide sufficient detail for descriptions of the men, however.
Due to the proximity of the auction lot to the Honda dealership on Atlanta Highway, Garrett said the two sets of thefts could be related.
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