California police: Man stealing catalytic converter fatally run over by would-be victim

PALMDALE, Calif. — A man allegedly trying to steal a catalytic converter in California by crawling under a parked SUV died when he was run over by the vehicle’s driver, authorities said.

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According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the incident occurred just before 6 p.m. PST in a retail parking lot in Palmdale north of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Four people were inside a vehicle parked near a Ford Excursion, the sheriff’s department said. One man got out of the vehicle and attempted to saw off the SUV’s catalytic converter, KABC-TV reported.

A woman who had been asleep in the SUV told deputies she woke up after hearing the noise of the saw, the Times reported. The woman turned on the ignition and put her vehicle into reverse, the sheriff’s department said.

The woman told deputies she called 911 after she “felt a bump like she ran something over,” the Times reported.

“She stopped immediately, leaving the suspect on the ground after running him over,” the sheriff’s department said.

Deputies detained the other man and two women in the suspect’s vehicle, KTLA-TV reported. The suspect who was injured at the scene was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the television station.

The victim has not been identified, the Times reported.