A repair shop in Lilburn, GA, was recently targeted by a thief who cut the catalytic converters from 12 vehicles that were on the lot. Four of the converters were taken from customers’ vehicles.

Below is the article as it appeared on the WSB-TV Channel 2 website.

Mechanic Out Thousands After Catalytic Converter Theft

July 15, 2011

LILBURN, Ga. — A Gwinnett County mechanic is out thousands of dollars after someone cut the catalytic converters out of a dozen vehicles on his lot.

"I got in, started it up and it was real loud, and I knew what had happened," mechanic Terry Wright said.

Wright said the sound he heard could only be one thing, a missing catalytic converter.

He immediately checked the rest of the cars on his lot.

Wright told Channel 2’s Kerry Kavanaugh he found 11 more vehicles with the same problem.

"Just trying to make an honest living and somebody’s coming in and ripping you off," Wright said.

Wright told Kavanaugh he was robbed last Friday night.

He said someone snuck onto the lot of Terry’s Auto Repair on Highway 29 and cut the catalytic converters out of a dozen vehicles.

Kavanaugh asked Wright, “How devastating is that for a small business owner?”

Wright replied, “Very devastating it’s a good bit of money."

Wright said he needs several thousand dollars to replace all of them, including the four converters swiped from customer’s vehicles.

To read the entire article on the WSB-TV Channel 2 website, visit http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28563087/detail.html.