A California woman unintentionally ran over and killed a man who was allegedly trying to steal her catalytic converter.
The woman, who has not been named in media reports, had been sleeping inside her Ford Excursion in the parking lot of a Palmdale mall when a group of four pulled up around 6:00PM on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
The group was described as consisting of two Hispanic men and two Hispanic women. They allegedly parked in the space next to the woman. One man jumped out of the vehicle, lay under the woman's SUV, and tried to saw off the catalytic converter, authorities said, per Komo News.
"The victim woke up from the sound, turned the car on, put the vehicle in reverse, and felt a bump like she ran something over," police said in a release.
The female victim stopped straight away, dialing 911, according to officials, and left one of the alleged thieves under car.
When police arrived at the scene, they found the Ford partly backed out of the parking spot with the man still under it and the other suspects' car parked next to it.
The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was confirmed dead. The police department later referred to him as a grand theft suspect. His accomplices have been detained.
Authorities have not made the identities of those involved in the incident public. They also did not share whether the victim of the would-be thieves is facing any charges herself, with the case having been classified as a homicide.
Catalytic converters are a popular steal among auto thieves.
In fact, thefts of catalytic converters have increased by more than 1,200 percent over the last few years due to the precious metals they are made with, per the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
This comes days after thieves stole Oscar Mayer Wienermobile's catalytic converter in a parking lot of the Sonesta Suites on Paradise Road in Las Vegas, the Daily Mail reports.
The crew realized something was amiss on Friday morning when they were unable to get the wiener on wheels to start ahead of an appearance at Smith's on W. Warm Springs Road, which was planned for 10:00AM.
The 27-foot long Mayer mobile was then towed to the Penske Truck Rental at West Hacienda Avenue and South Decatur Boulevard, where a "temporary" catalytic converter was fitted by mechanics.
Due to time pressure, the mechanics simply sealed up the area where the catalytic converter had been removed. Fortunately, the crew were able to make it to their first appearance of the weekend.
