Would-be thief crushed by car trying to steal catalytic converter, California police say

Thefts of devices have increased dramatically in recent years because of the precious metals they contain

A California man was crushed to death by a car as he tried to steal a catalytic converter in Oakland, according to officials.

Police in the city say that officers responded to reports of a crime in progress in the early hours of 10 March and discovered a man underneath the vehicle.

The 35-year-old man from Vacaville, California was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities told the East Bay Times that the man was killed while trying to steal the catalytic converter from a Toyota Prius.

Officers believe that a jack that was being used to raise the car malfunctioned fatally dropping the vehicle onto him.

A backpack containing cutting tools was found near the scene, according to KTVU.

Thefts of devices have increased dramatically in recent years because of the precious metals they contain

Last month a woman in Palmdale, California, woke up in her SUV and accidentally ran over and killed a man as he tried to steal a catalytic converter from underneath it.

Police say that the woman accidentally ran over the man as he attempted to remove the converter from her “lifted” Ford Excursion vehicle in Palmdale, north of Los Angeles.

The woman had fallen asleep in the SUV in a retail parking lot and was woken by the sound of sawing underneath her.

Thefts of catalytic converters have spiked more than 1,200 per cent in recent years, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.