Man Arrested After Trying to Steal Camaro From GM Holding Lot
A group of thieves once again broke into GM’s Lansing-area holding lot, but this time, only one came close to making off with a Camaro.
Automotive theft in the U.S. once again set a new record in 2023, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), continuing an alarming trend that has perpetuated for years now. On the flip side, thieves aren’t just targeting entire vehicles, either – rather, they’re going after individual parts such as headlights, tailgates, and catalytic converters, which are also worth significant amounts of money these days, too. However, perhaps the most surprising trend stems from thieves who are stealing vehicles directly from automaker-owned facilities and holding lots, and it almost happened to GM again recently when a group of thieves tried to make off with at least one Camaro in the Lansing, Michigan area, according to CBS News.
The attempted theft took place at a CN Railroad Auto Distribution Center in Charlotte, Michigan – which is used by GM to store vehicles before they’re shipped to dealers via rail – early one Thursday morning earlier this month, but as one might imagine, there were security personnel on site, who alerted police when they saw several men trying to cut the fence and gain access to the property.
The security team called 911 to report this crime, but when police arrived, they were apparently face to face with one of those men, who was attempting to exit the lot behind the wheel of a Chevy Camaro. Unfortunately for that vehicle, when the man saw police, he tried to make a quick u-turn, but hit a large metal dumpster instead, causing extensive damage to the car as a result.
Regardless, the man then attempted to flee on foot, but didn’t make it far before police were able to take him into custody, and now, he’s facing charges of unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle and resisting and obstructing a police officer. As for his cohorts – who tried to steal a pair of other Camaro models – they were able to successful escape the long arm of the law, at least for now.
Unfortunately, this type of crime is only becoming more prevalent, especially around the Detroit and Dearborn areas. GM’s cross-town rival Ford has dealt with a large number of thefts that have occurred on its own storage/parking lots over the past couple of years, and this isn’t GM’s first proverbial rodeo, either. In fact, in late February, eight Cadillacs were stolen from this same distribution center, which makes it perhaps unsurprising that security was a bit beefier this time around.
Photos: Chevrolet
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