Thieves pulled a gun on a man who interrupted a crime in his driveway in Palo Alto.
The incident was reported Tuesday morning when the armed thieves were stealing a catalytic converter from the man's Toyota Prius. The victim, who did not want to be identified, woke up due to a drilling noise.
"And then there was a drilling noise coming out, and I immediately realized somebody tried to take the catalytic converter from our Prius," he said.
The man went outside to confront the thieves, with one of the suspects pulling a gun on him.
"At this moment, when I start yelling, a guy stood up and took out a gun, and pointed the gun at me," he said.
Police said they do not see many catalytic converter thefts in the area, but are really concerned over the suspects being armed.
"What we have anecdotally here, and elsewhere, is the folks that are stealing catalytic converters are willing to actually bring weapons along," Palo Alto police Capt. James Reifschneider said. "Willing to actually have a confrontation with the car owner.
Police said residents should avoid dangerous confrontations and to call 911.
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