CHANDLER — Three men, Robert Canez, Jesus Banuelos and Tevon Kroncke, were arrested after an alleged spree of catalytic converter thefts in Chandler.
At about 6:15 a.m. February 22, the three men were caught after a victim walked up to them while they were in the middle of stealing a converter, police said.
Chandler Police Department officials say the suspects pointed a gun at the victim and then drove away in a BMW.
The three did not stop after police attempted to pull them over.
Police found the BMW abandoned in a parking lot, along with a gun, ten catalytic converters and a battery-operated saw.
All three men were arrested for armed robbery.
The driver, Canez was also booked for unlawful flight from law enforcement. Banuelos was booked for possession of narcotic drugs and paraphernalia after police allegedly found 22 fentanyl pills on him.
According to data from beenverified.com, Arizona was among the top three in increases of catalytic converter thefts in 2021 at 1,340%. Arizona ranked number eight in the United States.
Chandler Police have arrested nine people connected to catalytic converter thefts in the past 30 days.
