2 Sacramento Men Convicted Of Stealing Dozens Of Catalytic Converters Across 8 Counties
DAVIS (CBS13) — Two Sacramento men were convicted of stealing catalytic converters across eight Northern California counties, the Yolo County District Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.
Dao Xiong, 44, and Shaneel Lal, 38, stole 64 catalytic converters in Yolo, Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Napa, Butte, Alameda and Contra Costa counties between September 2020 and February 2021. Authorities said the total loss was estimated to be around $100,000.
The district attorney's office said the investigation began when a Davis resident reported in September 2020 that his catalytic converter was stolen from his Toyota Prius. Xiong and Lal were eventually identified as the suspects through surveillance and suspect vehicle information.
Authorities said Xiong typically was the driver and Lal was the passenger as they scouted neighborhoods for potential vehicles to hit. Surveillance footage captured Xiong and Lal scouting neighborhoods during the daytime or early evening hours before returning to the same locations later at night or during the early morning hours.
The pair were pulled over by Davis police on October 23, 2020, and were found with stolen catalytic converters stolen out of Napa County in their vehicle, the district attorney's office said. The pair was charged but was released due to the zero bail policy in place during the pandemic.
Xiong and Lal were found to have continued to steal catalytic converters after their release until they were arrested again in Davis on February 2, 2021.
Both will be sentenced on January 10 and face six years in jail each.