Police: 2 men arrested after attempted catalytic converter theft in Woodbury

WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Woodbury police say two men were arrested earlier this month after one tried to rip a catalytic converter off a vehicle in the city.

The men were arrested in the early morning hours of August 30 police say, after officers were called out to the 2800 block of Oriole Drive.

Police say a neighbor called 911 after waking up to the sound of a saw around 12:35 a.m. before looking outside and seeing two people run towards a silver car.

Officers were able to track down the silver car with three people inside. Upon questioning, they say the driver implicated the other two people in the vehicle: a 27-year-old man and a 32-year-old man.

Inside the vehicle, they also found a reciprocating saw blade in the backseat and a backpack with batteries, saw blades, and a car jack. Back at the crime scene, the damaged vehicle still had its catalytic converter but the exhaust had been seriously damaged in the process.

Both men were taken into custody on charges of damage to property and possession of theft tools.

In the Twin Cities and beyond, there has been a sharp increase in catalytic converter thefts in recent months, with thieves looking to cash in by selling the parts for scrap.