California homeowner fatally stabs man trying to steal catalytic converter

A California homeowner took matters into his own hands when he saw a group of thieves trying to steal a catalytic converter from his car, fatally stabbing one of the suspects in the driveway, according to police.

The homeowner told police he had been sleeping when he was awoken by a group of men talking in his driveway on Thienes Avenue in South El Monte around 2:30 a.m. Friday morning, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office told KTVU.

The man grabbed a kitchen knife and confronted up to four crooks who were in the middle of trying to take the catalytic converter from his parked vehicle, police said.

At some point during the confrontation, the homeowner stabbed one of the suspects — described by police as a 45 to 50-year-old man. The other suspects hopped in a small car and sped off, police said.

The man who was stabbed was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not yet been released.

When police arrived at the scene they identified tools typically used in catalytic converter thefts next to the suspect’s body.

The homeowner was taken in for questioning, police said. No charges have been filed.

Catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed nationwide. At least one other catalytic converter thieve has been killed while committing the crime.

In February, a woman in Los Angeles accidentally ran over and killed a man police said had been trying to steal her catalytic converter. The woman, who was sleeping in her car at the time, was startled awake by a group of four thieves, started the car and ran over one of them.

Even the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile had its catalytic converter jacked while it was parked at the Sonesta Suites on Paradise Road in Las Vegas earlier this year.

In New York City, such thefts rose as much as 600% across the five boroughs last year, The Post reported.

CarFax estimates that in 2022 around 153,000 of the emissions control devices were stolen based on repair records, according to Fox News.