A man from Georgia was fatally crushed following his alleged attempt to steal a catalytic converter from an auto shop, officials told FOX News Digital. The Chatham County Police Department said that 32-year-old Matthew Eric Smith was discovered unconscious on Tuesday at 9:15 a.m. after he was crushed by a catalytic converter that fell on him at South Bound Auto Sales.
The owner of the auto shop, Mike Abouharb, reveal that he discovered Smith’s body when he got to work that morning. He told WTOC-TV,
“I didn’t even get close to him…. I called the police right away.”
Officials declared the death as accidental, saying that Smith’s death was
“the result of an attempted catalytic converter theft.”
Abouharb told the news station,
“Is it worth it? To steal a catalytic converter to sell for $100. To lose your life? It’s not.”
There has been a spike in catalytic converter theft. If you’re unaware, a catalytic converter is a part of the vehicle’s control emission and exhaust system. According to FOX,
“they have valuable metals, like platinum and rhodium, that criminals can cut out in seconds and sell to scrapyards.”
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
