1969-1994 THE VOICE
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64 pages

Office, Editorial 985-2131

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OF NOAT H AND WEST VANCOUVER

BiG DADDY

NV actor Jay Brazeau
pluv-ucts and parents
swith equal aplomb,

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Itseems Hike we've been
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NEWS photo Brad Ledwidgs

TEAM NORTH Vancouver driver Rob Mingay, in the North Shore News-sponsored car 70, placed 15th in
a field of 28 cars driving Sunday in the Indy race weekend’s American Cities Racing League event.

West Vancouver Police raid stolen vehicle parts “chop shop’

A WEST Vancouver stolen vehicle
“chop shop” has been put out of
business.

By Anna Marie D’Angelo

News Reporter

West Vancouver Police (WYP) raided a
house at 1812 Mathers Ave. on Aug. 12 and
found several stolen privately owned vehi-
cles in the process of being dismanted.

“The stolen parts are typically sold with-
out detection ... A police officer would aot
suspect a motor is stolen. for eaamiple. if
other information about a vehicle checks
out.” said WY¥P Const. Janie Gibson.

Gibson said the Aug. 12 incident marks
the first time a chop sho has been focated
and closed down by police in the municipal-
ity in the past six years.

He said the ears were Jate-model vehicles
stalen from: all over the Lower Maintand.

A “large quantity” of stolen items traced
to several Lower Mainland burglaries was
also recovered at the house.

Philip Wayne Bradley, 49, of West
Vancouver. is charged with four counts of
possessing stolen property valued at more
than $$.000 in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Attorney
General has released a report on the many
ways stolen cats and stolen car parts are
returned to the marketplace.

Auto thefts can be
enterprise.” according to
Javestigation 1992,

Unlike the West Vancouver bust, the
report said chop shops are usually located in
rented residential garages where the owners
of the garages have no idea as to what goes
on inside.

Some licensed body shops and auto
wreekers are also involved in the ileit
chop-shop business. aecordime to the report.

Other common ways money ts made
from stalen vehicles:

@ Steal and strip:

A staien car is stripped of its tigher-
priced parts, such as alloy Wheels and seats
Vhe parts are removed ina chop shop. What

“a very lucrative
Auto Theft

sminegiiaimaigl BOYS SRS NI ee Ra STD Cian AS NCR SR atic

is left of the car is moved somewhere for the
police to find.

ICBC writes off the car, or truck, because
replacing the stolen parts is too expensive.

The stripped car is sold to a licensed
dealer. The original thieves use a licensed
broker and an “unusually” high bid to buy
the stripped car. The stolen parts are
replaced. The car is sold for a profit.

@ Cised-parts deal:

A stolen vehicle is stuipped and aban-
doned. The stripped car is recovered by
police and tured over to ICBC.

The thieves seth the cars parts to a body
shop Cel dubious integrins” for “irresistibly”
low priees. Phe beds shop buss the car's

e Stolen page 3