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Sep 26, 2023

Men arrested after stealing 30 catalytic converters from Universal Orlando area, police say

Two 19-year-old men were arrested Sunday after stealing 30 catalytic converters

Two 19-year-old men were arrested Sunday after stealing 30 catalytic converters from a Universal Orlando area hotel parking lot, according to Orlando Police.

Terance Elder and Jose Antonio Martínez were arrested Sunday and face charges of third degree grand theft and criminal mischief, court records show. Both men are from outside of Florida, OPD said.

On Sunday, OPD received a call about two men removing converters from vehicles in a hotel parking lot. The two were able to remove them in under two minutes, and in one instance about 40 seconds.

Surveillance footage of the lot shows the suspects arriving in a black SUV. One suspect can be seen exiting, grabbing a tool and then removing a converter, while the other suspect waited in the driver seat.

Within a few hours of the initial call, officers were able to identify the suspects’ getaway car and what hotel room they were staying in with the converters.

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