(KRON) – On Saturday, A Santa Rosa Police Department officer arrested a man after seeing him attempt to saw off a catalytic converter from a vehicle he had earlier stolen.
At 10:35 a.m., an SRPD police officer saw two men near a parked white Chevrolet truck in Nagasawa Park by Fountaingrove Parkway. Police reported seeing one of the two men underneath the truck with a power tool.
When confronting the two men, the SPRD officer identified a Sawzall tool, an electric sawing tool used to remove the car’s catalytic converter. Both men were soon detained for investigation, but one was released after an interview, police said.
Police said neither of the men were identified as the Chevrolet truck’s owner. Upon contacting the owner, he said he didn’t know his car was stolen, nor did he know either of the detained men.
The man under the truck with the sawzall tool was identified as Michael McGarvey, 33, of Santa Rosa. McGarvey was arrested for felony possession of a stolen vehicle and felony tampering with a vehicle. Police said McGarvey was later transported and booked into the Sonoma County Jail.
According to Santa Rosa police, after a vehicle’s catalytic converter has been cut from a vehicle, it can cost the registered owner upwards of $3,000 to replace. Since 2020, police say more than 800 Santa Rosa residents have been victims of catalytic converter thefts.
“Chief Cregan’s proactive policing model has contributed to the reduction in catalytic converter thefts over the past three years,” SRPD said.
