Video shows catalytic converter thieves in Torrance driving Lamborghini

A band of Torrance thieves driving a yellow Lamborghini Urus were caught on camera stealing a van’s catalytic converter late at night, video released by the city’s Police Department shows.

The four men exited the luxury vehicle on the 3800 block of 184th Street in Torrance around 4 a.m. Nov. 9 after pulling up alongside a white van, police said. The crew jacked up the van and took the valuable part of the vehicle while one man acted as a lookout, the video shows.

The minute-long episode was caught on surveillance camera from across the street.

Catalytic converters are part of a car’s exhaust system that filters pollutants discharged by the engine. The devices also contain precious metals such as platinum which makes them a valuable black market asset. Stolen converters have a resale value of between $100 and $1,000, depending on the type of car they fit. The suggested retail price for a new Lamborghini Urus: more than $200,000.

Theft of the device has skyrocketed in California and across the United States since the pandemic.