"smashed through the front, and unloaded thousands of dollars in cash, lottery tickets, cigar wraps and other merchandise before making a getaway. By November, police had identified and arrested just one of the four masked suspects in the September break-ins. But when they raided his Fremont home, they found evidence of more crimes: Dodge key fobs and a simple key reprogrammer kit that is the primary tool of the trade for car thieves across the state, according to court records."
"Key reprogrammers can be hooked into plugs behind panels of modern cars from the expensive and stylish to clunkers and are used to aid owners who've lost their keys. But the technology is ripe for misuse, according to police. Anyone can purchase them online, and a knowledgable thief can use them to start and steal a car in about 30 seconds, authorities say."
"But now East Bay police are also investigating Chapina-Gonzalez and others for alleged involvement in a large auto theft ring targeting high-end cars for resale. At the time of his arrest, Chapina-Gonzalez was out of jail in a case involving allegations he kept a gun and drugs in the same room as a young child in his Fremont apartment, court records show."
Within an hour thieves drove a stolen black Dodge Durango into two stores, smashed the fronts, and removed thousands of dollars in cash, lottery tickets, cigar wraps and other merchandise before fleeing. Police arrested one masked suspect, 18-year-old Raul Chapina-Gonzalez, and found Dodge key fobs and a key reprogrammer kit at his Fremont home. Key reprogrammers can be plugged into modern cars and can enable a knowledgeable thief to start and steal a car in about 30 seconds. Anyone can buy the devices online, making them widely available tools for misuse. Investigators are probing a larger auto theft ring targeting high-end cars for resale, and social media posts reportedly listed stolen vehicles and showed firearms beside an Autel reprogrammer.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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