CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On July 26, three residents at The Retreat Apartments, off Timbergate Drive in Corpus Christi, made police reports after their tires and rims were stolen from their cars overnight.
The Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) confirmed three people have been arrested in connection to those thefts.
They are 25-year-old Joshua Carrizales, 29-year-old Joe Cesar Trujillo, and 31-year-old Gerardo Ortega. They have been charged with theft and engaging in organized crime.
CCPD said they are seeing more of those thefts as of lately. There were 53 incidents in all of 2022. There have been 51 so far this year.
“They are up a little bit over last year. Since we’ve made this arrest, we haven’t had any further incidents. So, we are confident we have found the suspects that are responsible for the recent tire thefts,” said Lt. Mark Tuley with the CCPD Auto Theft Task Force.
Ryan Morton was someone who had his tires stolen while parked at The Retreat Apartments. He spoke to us the day after he found his car on cement blocks.
“Now, I had to buy a whole new set of tires and rims and out quite a bit of money. It was almost two grand,” he said.
We asked Lt. Tuley, what makes tires and rims so attractive to steal?
“They are hard to track; they don’t have numbers on them. So, once they’re stolen, and we don’t catch those people in the act, they’re very hard to track down, especially if they move to another city to be sold,” Tuley said.
He said depending on the condition of the stolen goods, they’ll usually be sold just about anywhere and for about 50 percent of their store cost.
“Something citizens can do is mark their tires, especially if they’re custom rims, with numbers that they document on their own. That way, they’re easier to get back to the victim if they find them,” he said.
According to Tuley, car alarms can be a deterrent. However, because they're all made differently, it's not a certainty that it will go off if your tires are being stolen.
There is a more proactive way to protect yourself from thieves. Tuley said you can purchase locking lug nuts. It’s something Morton has taken advantage of since replacing his tires.
“I got wheel locks on the car now. But still, every morning, I'm kind of wondering if my car going to be there. Is it going to have all the tires? It’s not a good feeling to have,” Morton said.
The Retreat is a gated apartment complex. Sometimes those gates don’t keep thieves out. Tuley said to be careful about who may be following you into the complex. If you don’t recognize the car behind you, he suggests stopping and letting the gate close before heading to your parking spot.
Tuley said if you are a victim of tire theft, to report it to CCPD.
Another high-ticket item for thieves has been catalytic converters. If you remember, in the summer of 2021, CCPD reported thefts of those converters were up over 300 percent from the year before.
A state law went into effect in September 2021 aimed at slowing down converter thefts. That's what Tuley said has caused the number of catalytic converter thefts to trend downward.
“There have been some law changes with that," Tuley said. "Those numbers have decreased since those laws have gone into effect and continue to go down.”
The law puts more restrictions on the sale of catalytic converters. It requires the seller to show proof of what car the converter came from and that the seller owns that car. It also requires recycling centers to keep a detailed record of the converters they buy from people.
It’s because of the metals within catalytic converters that make them valuable.
You'll know your catalytic converter is missing if your car makes a loud, unusual noise after starting up.
CCPD advises people to park in a garage or well-lit area. Surveillance around the home can be useful and report any suspicious activity. Some people have even bought locking mechanisms to protect their catalytic converter.
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