Detroit police make arrest in stolen car parts operation

Operation stole cars, stripped them citywide

DETROIT – Detroit police raided an east side house Wednesday and arrested one man, while uncovering a large cache of stolen auto parts, tires and wheels.

Detroit police sergeant Robert Wellman described how the operation would target a vehicle, get another vehicle to push it off the street to another location, where it would be stripped.

"Today we had nine cars. Basically they would break the window, they would break the shifter. They would get a push car and push it a couple of blocks away, at which point, they would take the tires off," Wellman said.

Police believe several people were involved in the operation, but the arrest Wednesday was key to their investigation.

"We believe the person we have in custody is the main person," Wellman said.

Police are confident the evidence they obtained in the raid, along with information from surveillance video, will help lead to more arrests.


About the Author

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.

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