Catalytic converter thieves hit San Francisco neighborhood over and over
Catalytic converter thieves repeatedly target one block in SF's Mission District
Neighbors on one block in San Francisco's Mission District say thieves have repeatedly stolen catalytic converters in the past four months. One couple says their catalytic converter was stolen in October and they're still waiting for a replacement.
SAN FRANCISCO - People in one San Francisco neighborhood say they're fed up after being targeted by catalytic converter thieves, over and over again.
The owners of the Toyota Prius cars parked along Shotwell Street in the Mission District say thieves have stolen catalytic converters four times in less than four months.
The most recent thefts happened early Wednesday morning
It woke up neighbors including Cris Wagner, who also had a catalytic converter stolen from his car in October.
"We're on a waitlist for a catalytic converter," he said. We've been on a wait list since early October."
Katie Hazard was robbed, too.
"At first, I was like how did this happen to us?" she asked "And as soon as I tell anyone they're like, ‘It happened to me. It happened to me. That happened to my neighbor. That happened to my friend.' It's just so pervasive here right now."
The owner of one of the Prius cars that was targeted this week, tells us that he had recently replaced his catalytic converter in the fall.
Other neighbors who have been spared by thieves believe it's only a matter of time before their car is targeted.
Older Priuses have become a prime target for catalytic converter theft because it's hybrid and has more valuable metals.