A New Orleans shop owner was the victim of a massive catalytic converter theft, reports WVUE FOX 8.
At around 4 a.m. last Tuesday, a maintenance man working at a business neighboring Lakeview Tire and Automotive heard sawing noises coming from the shop when he realized someone was removing catalytic converters from vehicles inside. He called 911, but it would be six hours until any law enforcement arrived on the scene at 10 a.m.
Fourteen catalytic converters were stolen from seven vehicles in the shop. Melvin Adolph, the owner of the shop located at the 1600 block of Allen Toussant Boulevard, expressed frustration with the lack of action, though he noted the recent shortages the N.O.P.D. has been facing.
Indeed, this is not the only case of a long response time from the police department, with the number of officers falling below 900 in August 2023–a low that hasn’t been seen since 1940. Though recruitment initiatives have helped the number come back up, New Orleans residents are still feeling the impact.
Following the incident, the cars were left with an estimated total of $25,000-$35,000 in damages. Now, Adolph worries about how the incident will impact his business.
“It was an easy catch. They could’ve busted a big catalytic converter ring,” Adolph said. “I’m not dogging police officers, but like I said, in this case that’s not like a little candy bar they stole.”
