Santa Clara police have arrested two men in connection with a string of car part thefts.
On Aug. 16, Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) arrested two Oakland men. Police arrested Roman Ledesma Gomez, 37, and Moises RamirezValdez, 35. The arrest occurred at an Oakland hotel on the 300 block of W. MacArthur Boulevard.
The men were allegedly involved in a series of coordinated efforts to steal catalytic converters. A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device. It contains valuable minerals that make it prized by thieves.
Catalytic converter thefts declined in 2024, according to State Farm auto claim data, but California still remains one of the states with the highest incidence of theft. A single ounce of platinum, palladium or rhodium used in catalytic converters can fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
According to police, Gomez was wanted on warrants for a slew of crimes. Those crimes included grand theft, conspiracy, robbery, discharging a firearm at a person and vehicle tampering, Lt. Eric Lagergren, SCPD’s public information officer, wrote in an email.
Oakland Police assisted SCPD with the bust.
Lagergren wrote that the investigation is ongoing.
The investigation launched in October 2023 following an attempted catalytic converter theft in Santa Clara. A local resident interrupted the theft, according to police. When the resident came upon the thieves trying to steal the catalytic converter, one of the thieves allegedly fired a handgun six times before fleeing.
Throughout the course of the investigation, detectives discovered links between the interrupted theft and “a pattern of similar crimes across the Bay Area,” according to the department. Because the investigation is still active, Lagergren would not elaborate on the other incidents.
During the raid last week, officers recovered several items connected to the crimes. Among the items recovered, Lagergren wrote, were two rifles, two stolen catalytic converters, body armor and mail and personal documents police suspect were stolen.
Lagergren wrote that there were two victims from the Santa Clara heist. He wrote that police have identified multiple other victims across Santa Clara County.
Police booked both suspects into the Santa Clara County Jail.
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
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