Trio Arrested by Oakley Police After Attempted Vehicle Theft

Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard announced three individuals have been arrested after an attempted vehicle theft on Yellow Rose Circle in the City of Oakley.

The suspects were identified as Anthony Parson (21, Oakley), Kyle LaCosta (20, Brentwood) and Brian Ray (20, Antioch). All three suspects were booked into jail for this offense.

Per Oakley Police:

On July 25 at 6:10PM Oakley police officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Yellow Rose Circle for an attempted vehicle theft that had just occurred. The victim of the case interrupted the theft and the suspects fled the area.

The victim followed the suspects and called us to provide details on what had happened and to update us on the whereabouts of the suspects. Our officers made contact with the suspects and stopped them. It was determined the suspects broke a window of the victim vehicle, which happened to be a Jeep equipped with a 6.4 liter engine. Also in possession of the suspects were blank, programmable Dodge key fobs.

There is currently a widespread problem, extending well outside of the Bay Area, involving Dodge/Jeep/RAM products that are primarily equipped with 6.4 liter engines. These products have become highly sought after by thieves for the purposes of using them in exhibition of speed events such as sideshows and these stolen vehicles have been known to be used to commit other crimes and they have often been documented to be involved in police pursuits.

A typical theft involves the suspects breaking a window to gain entry into the vehicle. The suspects then manipulate the vehicle into neutral so they can push it down the road a little ways. The thieves are equipped with a smart phone or tablet that allows them to tap into the onboard diagnostic electronics of the vehicle and they are able to manipulate the vehicle into starting up and driving away without the use of the actual electronic key that was supplied with the vehicle. Once the vehicle is in possession of the thieves they can program actual electronic keys to the vehicle and those keys can then be used just like the key that was supplied with the vehicle.

“I would normally not put such specific information out regarding the tactics and tools thieves use to steal because I do not want to be part of the “criminal education program”. This issue however, has become such a problem that I want potential victims to be aware of how vulnerable they are to this type of a theft. I encourage people with these types of vehicles to safeguard their vehicles by doing any one (or more) of the following:

• Park in the garage
• Equip your vehicle with battery disconnect devices (kill switch)
• Use prominently displayed steering wheel locks
• Use brake locks
• If possible use another vehicle to block the preferred vehicle in place
• Equip your home with legitimate security light/camera systems
• Place hidden GPS devices in your vehicles (Apple air tags)

I am identifying the suspects in this case as Anthony Parson (21, Oakley), Kyle LaCosta (20, Brentwood) and Brian Ray (20, Antioch). All three suspects were booked into jail for this offense.

Our investigators and the members of our Special Services Team are investigating this trio to see if their involvement goes into the much larger theft ring of these preferred vehicles, which again includes all 6.4 liter equipped Dodge/Jeep/RAM vehicles.

I will update the community on this issue if any developments occur.

I know hard working residents buy their Chargers, Challengers, Hellcats, Scat Packs, Jeeps and RAMs to enjoy and use. I do not want your daily lives interrupted by criminal activity, I want you to continue to enjoy your vehicles so please take extra security measures as we work to determine the depth of this crime ring and work to bring it to an end.

I highly encourage owners of these types of vehicles to contact their Dodge/Jeep/RAM dealer to get a RF Hub Module Software Update. I am informed this is the best factory preventative measure, for this problem, currently available.

Chief Paul Beard
Oakley Police Department

Editors Notes: Vehicle Thefts

In fact, since July 2, Antioch residents have reported 112 vehicle thefts to the Antioch Police Department. Since May 28, the total number is 211 vehicle thefts.

Compared to the neighboring City of Pittsburg, since July 2, Pittburg has seen 30 vehicle thefts. Since May 28, the number is 93.  In the City of Oakley, since May 28, Oakley has had just14 vehicle thefts. Brentwood police report they have had 71 vehicle thefts year-to-date with 21 being since May 28.