PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An organized gang of car thieves that traveled from Seattle to Portland to Sacramento just hit a wall.
The Multnomah County Auto Theft Task Force has just Aric Wade Adams Arrested from Central Point, Oregon, who they suspect is the leader.
The work of the volunteer group PDX Stolen Cars helped arrest and charge Adams with at least 16 counts of armed robbery, theft and possession of stolen vehicles.
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According to investigators, the car thieves have reportedly stolen newer American muscle cars – Corvettes, Chevy Camaros, Dodge Chargers and Challengers – and sold them through online platforms.
After several of the cars were found, including a $70,000 Corvette stolen from a Troutdale dealership and parked on a Portland street, it prompted Titan Crawford, the leader of PDX Stolen Cars, to take action.
“In March, we recovered a very expensive Corvette and a very expensive Hellcat,” Crawford recalled. “And through our social media sleuthing, we were able to quickly identify the perpetrator and the suspect who committed these thefts. When we realized that the thefts were stretching from Sacramento to Seattle, we contacted the Multnomah County Auto Theft Task Force and gave them the information that we had discovered.”
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Some cars were even reportedly stolen from in front of their owners' homes, at gunpoint.
According to court documents, the suspect bragged on social media about stealing cars and offering them for sale.
According to police, they expect more arrests for the suspected series of thefts.
While they focused on certain types of higher-end cars, Crawford did offer some advice on how to deter car thieves in general.
“A lot of car thieves are being held accountable and stealing 50 cars a month,” he said. “But they're also people who are proactive about securing their vehicles. If people take just one simple security step, that's better than no security steps. If people take multiple security steps, that's even better. No car is theft-proof.”
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