A Texas man is fuming after he claims Dallas police were passive about helping him get his stolen Chevy Camaro back after it was stolen from a downtown parking garage. Frustrated, he took matters into his own hands and claims police told him to do it, a fact the department is disputing.
Watching online listings like a hawk, the Camaro owner found his engine for sale, then the wheels. We can only imagine how it would feel to realize someone is parting out your beloved ride, selling it piece by piece online.
Determined to get it back, he kept contacting police with details about the online seller. He told CBS News that he also went to a police station twice to speak with a detective about the case. However, he was told to leave since he “was making such a fuss” about detectives not being available to speak with him.
Then he said detectives contacted him, directing him to meet with the sellers of his parted-out Camaro. Dallas police dispute that claim. Of course, meeting with known car thieves pretending to want to buy your ride can be dangerous.
Anyway, the guy did go to where his car was being kept and snapped a photo of it inside what he thinks is a chop shop. Armed with that evidence, the Tarrant County Auto Theft Task Force seized the guy’s Camaro from the location in Burleson. Maybe the Camaro owner should’ve been put into contact with them from the get-go?
We see cases like this all the time and our first thought is always about how many stolen car cases police must be fielding along with many other crimes. That’s not an excuse, but in some cities the theft problems are so bad police are completely overwhelmed.
You’re always going to care about your own car more than the police, that’s just a fact. Some police departments have more resources available to actively get your ride back while others just don’t. And we get that in the latter situation it’s extremely frustrating.
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