The Career Criminal Auto Theft (C-CAT) team busted a chop shop operation in Fresno County Sunday afternoon. They made the discovery at a home on Marks near Muscat southwest of Fresno.
The Fresno Police C-CAT Unit said three people are in jail, and more arrests could be made soon. Investigators say they watched Sunday afternoon as the suspects took a stolen pick up truck to a small farm house on South Marks Avenue and began to strip the truck.
Once police moved in, they say they also found several guns and ammunition inside the home. They also found several stolen items that may be linked to burglaries in the Fresno area.
The C-CAT team says those involved in the chop shop are also being investigated for identity theft. Nearly a dozen people were home when police made the bust. Those witnesses were being questioned right Sunday evening.
Police say this operation is much different than chop shops they have busted in the past. In this case they say only one car was being taken apart at a time. And the car parts were then taken away to be sold either online or at a different location.
As for what remained of the stripped out cars, detectives say that was being burned in an attempt to destroy evidence.
