Man killed a catalytic converter thief and dragged the body behind his truck, police say
UPDATE: Catalytic converter thief was alive when dragged behind truck and left in field, records say
A man shot and killed someone he caught trying to steal a catalytic converter from his truck in Lakewood, then dragged his body behind the truck to a field and dumped it, police said.
The 54-year-old man was sleeping in his truck in the 4200 block of Sharondale Street SW Saturday when he woke up about 3:45 a.m. because of loud noises and his truck vibrating. When he looked out, he saw a man halfway beneath his truck apparently trying to steal the catalytic converter.
“He shoots him,” Lt. Chris Lawler said.
The would-be thief tried to get in his own vehicle to leave but was unable to do so because of the gunshot wound.
“The suspect approaches him again and fires at him again,” Lawler said.
The man then used rope to tie the would-be thief to the ball hitch of his truck and dragged him to a nearby field behind some railroad tracks. He untied the body and left, police said.
A truck driver saw him dragging the body behind his truck and called 911.
Officers responded to the field and found the 40-year-old victim dead. He has not been publicly identified.
As police were interviewing the truck driver about what he saw, the alleged shooter drove by and was stopped by police.
He was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and is expected to be arraigned this afternoon.
This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 10:20 AM.
