Sunday, April 29, 2007

What's the problem, officer?

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Whenever Antonio Moreno wanted to see his girlfriend, he'd jump in a car and drive right over.

But there was a problem. The 26 cars Moreno jumped into all belonged to someone else.

Authorities arrested the 31-year-old near his suburban home on Wednesday. They said he was behind the wheel of a 1987 Toyota when they found him.

Police say that since January, Moreno had been stealing Toyotas and Nissans by using a simple device that starts Japanese cars of a certain age. Acting on a tip, members of a regional auto-theft task force took him into custody.

He was "stealing vehicles as transportation to pursue their relationship," said a police spokesman in Santa Barbara, where some of the thefts took place.

He didn't have a driver's licence or car of his own.

His girlfriend, who was not arrested, told authorities she had been trying to dump him.

Moreno faces charges of auto theft.

4 comments:

Steve Bates said...

Gives a new meaning to "hot-wiring" a car, doesn't it!

But, um, didn't the GF notice? And what became of the vehicles after each date?

My car is American, and is very slightly newer, but I have a feeling it would be pretty easy to hot-wire. If someone steals it, I hope they enjoy its... eccentricities.

ellroon said...

Eccentricities? Like an ejection seat, I hope? Electrified steering wheel?

Maybe the GF was waiting for him to show up with a Ferrari but all he had were these dated Toyotas and Nissans.

Either way, she's probably dumping him because of the visit from the police....

Steve Bates said...

No ejection seat, but there's a vanity mirror on the back of the driver's side sun visor that is shattered (the mirror, I mean), but completely contained in its folding cover. If you know not to open it, everything is fine...

The brakes are IMHO about a month overdue for some work, though they're safe enough if you know that fact and compensate for it when you head out the driveway. After about 50 feet, they work normally, with no compensation required. This is easily reparable, and I intend to have it repaired, Real Soon Now, as they say. But if you don't know about the brakes when you steal it...

Hey, the car is only 12 years old, and I'm not ready to replace it. But if someone wants it badly enough to steal it, I hope they have good medical insurance.

ellroon said...

Um... they have medical insurance for car thieves?