The powerful Chevy Camaro abandoned at a South Los Angeles intersection looked pretty suspicious.
But then LAPD gang investigators saw two teenagers fleeing the scene near Slauson Avenue and Broadway and were able to take them into custody.
One of the young men was carrying an electronic device that police say provides insight into why thefts of popular Camaros have skyrocketed by more than 1,000% in Los Angeles this year, with 90 vehicles stolen since the beginning of the year. Police said the increase comes at a time when there are an increasing number of high-powered vehicles appearing in street shots.
The device is essentially a handheld computer that allows the user to create a replacement smart key (using a new key fob) that can unlock Camaros and other vehicles, bypassing the vehicle's existing security system, researchers said. Once the user enters the make, model and year of the vehicle into the computer, he can reprogram the car's ignition system and generate a new or universal car key.
LAPD investigators believe a 16-year-old suspect used the device to create cloned ignition keys to steal powerful cars. A new Camaro can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
“This young man was stealing Camaros and taking them to street shoots and then selling them for $2,000 or $3,000 on social media,” Newton division captain Keith Green said. “A 16-year-old boy was capable of stealing high-end cars.”
The LAPD's Newton Division, which covers the northernmost section of South Los Angeles, saw the number of Camaro thefts jump from 2 to 10 in the first two months of the year, while citywide thefts increased from 7 to 90 Green said. Researchers, he said, may now have the answer to why robberies are increasing.
Key fob cloning technology is commercially available, and with a little technological wizardry, even a high school junior can become a skilled, technology-dependent car thief, Green said. Researchers say thieves can generate replacement keys in less than three minutes with the right software and hardware.
Vehicles used in street racing and burnouts (the practice of keeping a car stationary while the wheels spin, causing the tires to smoke) suffer so much wear and tear that participants often prefer to use stolen vehicles, police said. This is why thieves often target prized sports cars.
Los Angeles police did not indicate the exact method the teen may have used in the South Los Angeles incident. But in several cases documented by other jurisdictions, people used a similar device to connect directly to the vehicle or used a wireless system to download all of the car's information and create a duplicate key fob.
Green said it was too early to say exactly how many robberies are linked to the young man, who was released to his parents after his arrest on Feb. 25. Detectives will refer the case to the district attorney's office, which will decide whether to move forward. charges.
The best way to stop thieves is to employ additional security measures, such as fuel shutoffs, steering wheel locks and keeping the vehicle in a safer location, Green said. Additionally, detectives advise drivers to never leave keys inside a vehicle. There are security cases available in the market that can be used to prevent key fob signals from being transmitted. Improvised strategies such as wrapping controls in aluminum foil or placing them inside cans have proven effective.
Nationwide, American muscle cars have become the target of large theft rings. In 2022, Michigan merchants reported a series of thefts that investigators later linked to key fob cloning.
