Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced arrests in a Philadelphia-based vehicle-theft ring Thursday. She urged drivers to be vigilant.
Three young men and a juvenile are accused of using cloned and reprogrammed key fobs to steal dozens of vehicles and then resell them for, at times, as little as $200 each throughout the Philadelphia area.
Tyreek Brown-Lopez, 19, Kaheem Henry, 20, and Kwadir Brockington, 21, all of Philadelphia, were arrested and charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime and unauthorized use of an automobile. A juvenile suspect was also arrested and will be prosecuted in Juvenile Court.
“These defendants used technology to their advantage to allegedly access and steal numerous vehicles in the Philadelphia area,” Attorney General Michelle Henry said. “I strongly urge vehicle owners to be vigilant and take proactive measures to secure their vehicles.”
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The Office of Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force uncovered the car theft ring during a firearms investigation, officials said. Investigators said the suspects stole Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles and typically broke the sunroofs to access and program cloned key fobs.
Henry, Brockington and the juvenile were arrested in a stolen 2023 Dodge Hellcat SRT SUV, investigators said. While searching through Brockington’s Philadelphia home, investigators found a Glock handgun, a rifle, ammunition and equipment for programming key fobs, according to officials.
Brown-Lopez was arrested near a stolen Chrysler 300 with a broken sunroof, investigators said. He was also found with a cloned key fob for a stolen vehicle, according to officials. Investigators said they found a ghost gun and key fob programming equipment while searching through Brown-Lopez’s home.
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Brown-Lopez is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 24, 2024, while Henry and Brockington are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 17, 2024.
Officials continue to investigate.
NBC10 reached out to the attorneys for Henry and Brockington for statements on their behalf. We will include their responses once we receive them.
Information on Brown-Lopez’s legal representation was not available online.
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