Rare glimpse at East Bay stolen car task force; nearly $30M recovered since last year

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Task Force recovered nearly $30-million of stolen property over the last 18 months, including one dramatic recovery of a stolen Jeep by a suspect who was hiding in a water tunnel, but who was eventually spotted by a law enforcement drone and dragged out in handcuffs. 

The unit, known by the acronym ACRATT, is made up of law enforcement members from the Oakland police department, Alameda County sheriff’s office and California Highway Patrol. 

Recovering stolen cars

The joint task force is focused on reducing vehicle thefts and getting stolen cars and suspects off the streets. 

"It’s the gateway crime," said one of the members of the task force. "They use stolen vehicles, in every other violent crime, major crime. That’s what gets used, so we’re trying to get it at the lower level." 

Rare ride-along

KTVU was granted a ride-along with the team as the undercover officers drove through parts of Oakland, identifying stolen vehicles and seeking out suspects, offering a rare glimpse at what it takes to recover a stolen car. 

KTVU is not identifying members of the task force because they work undercover. 

Officers explained what they were looking for as they drove along "hot spots." 

"Make and model of the car," said the officer. "Ones that are getting stolen more often than others."

Within minutes, on a recent weekday, task force members spotted a Nissan they confirmed was stolen, because the plate came back to a different vehicle. 

They then began the process of getting it towed. 

Stolen Jeep

A few hours into the ride-along, the officers were alerted to an occupied stolen vehicle and they positioned themselves to keep an eye on the black Jeep, keeping a distance as they waited for a police helicopter to get overhead.

"I’m guessing he might try to go to an underpass or go somewhere he can go where the helicopter can’t see him," said one of the officers.

After a few minutes of the undercover team following the Jeep, the driver got spooked and took off.

 He sped off through intersections, driving erratically, as the police helicopter monitored the location from above. 

Deploying spike strip 

So the team came up with a plan.

An officer stood on the side of the road and threw the equivalent of a spike strip onto the road.

The Jeep's tire simply shredded to pieces. 

The suspected vehicle thief eventually ended up losing control of the Jeep had ultimately had to stop.

Still, the suspect wasn't giving up.

He hopped out of the Jeep and started to run into a water tunnel, hiding from view.

But the team didn't give up either.

An Alameda County Sheriff’s drone operator arrived, and sent the small robotic drone into the dark tunnel.

The drone confirmed the suspected car thief was inside. 

That's when a CHP called to the man inside the tunnel, warning him that if he didn't come out, they'd send in their K9. 

Roughly six officers moved in, each grabbing the man's limbs, placing him in handcuffs and hauling him out of the tunnel. 

Nearly $30M since 2024

The task force is yielding results.

Earlier in July, the same ACRATT team led a major auto-theft raid in east Oakland. It led to two arrests, and the seizure of 15 stolen cars. The team found weapons, commercial equipment and generators at the scene.

In 2024, the task force made 87 stolen vehicle arrests and 36 others for other felonies. Officers recovered 1,028 stolen vehicles and six guns. The total value of stolen recoveries was nearly $18 million.

So far in 2025, the team has made 64 stolen vehicle arrests and 13 others for other felonies. Officers recovered 661 stolen vehicles and 6 guns, for a total of nearly $11 million. 

Authorities said ACRATT’s operations will certainly continue, because vehicle theft remains an ongoing issue. 

OaklandOakland Police DepartmentCalifornia Highway PatrolAlameda County