Dedo’s daily crime corner: Catalytic converter thief caught, van driver evades police across three counties

Darren Dedo, KIRO Newsradio crime reporter, covers crime overnight in the Puget Sound region on the morning of July 13: Man arrested for stealing a catalytic converter and packages for months and a van driver suspected of DUI evades police across three counties.

Bellevue catalytic converter and package thief arrested

Dan Pham, a 22-year-old Seattle man, has been arrested in connection to a series of catalytic converters and packages that have been stolen around Bellevue.

Bellevue Police say they found Pham after a victim whose catalytic converter was stolen used Ring camera footage to track down his silver Audi with its license plate.

Investigators had been gathering evidence against who they have later identified as Pham since January.

According to the charging documents of the incident, Pham started stealing packages and converters in December 2021, after losing his job and struggling with applications to college.

At the end of his interview with detectives, wrote a small statement, “I want to say sorry for that.”

He has been booked into King County Jail and is being charged with three counts of second-degree theft.

KOMO is reporting that a judge has released Pham, but he is now a $25,000 warrant for his arrest for more charges.

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U-Haul driver leads police on chase through three counties

At 12:40 a.m. this morning, Lummi Nation police tried to stop a driver suspected of driving under the influence, when the vehicle sped off down Interstate 5.

Whatcom Sherriff’s deputies pursued the vehicle through the county, with speeds reaching 100 mph.

The suspect made it to Skagit county where state troopers joined the patrol. At one point a state trooper reports the suspect threw a bong out of the car window.

At one point, several spike strips were put on the road but the driver evaded them.

The driver finally stopped in the middle of I-5 and was taken into custody by troopers at the scene, along with a passenger who was later released. Video from a Washington State Department of Transportation camera showed the man stop the van, get out, and then walk backward toward troopers with his hands raised.

He has been charged with a DUI and felony eluding arrest.

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