DALLAS, Texas — A Dallas man has died, run over and killed by his own truck after confronting the alleged thief who stole it.
Michael Perez, 23, now faces a charge of capital murder.
On Saturday, just before 4 p.m., Eric Ortiz's girlfriend noticed that his truck was leaving the parking lot of their home. Per Perez's arrest documents, that girlfriend called Ortiz, 40, to ask where he was headed.
When Ortiz said he wasn't in the truck and was inside their residence, police were called, and Ortiz and his girlfriend followed Perez until they could drive in front of him and keep him from traveling any farther, the documents read.
Ortiz got out and told Perez to give him back his truck when his girlfriend watched Perez accelerate and drive over Ortiz, per police documents.
Investigators also wrote that the incident was captured on security footage. Perez allegedly told investigators before terminating a police interview that he drove over Ortiz because he didn't want to get beat up and didn't stop driving.
Police were able to arrest Perez because Ortiz's girlfriend followed him after he allegedly ran him over.
Ortiz's tragic death comes as Dallas faces a growing epidemic in auto thefts.
Last year, at this time of October, 10,320 thefts were recorded by the Dallas Police Department citywide for all of 2022.
So far, in 2023, 14,479 auto thefts have been recorded -- a 40% increase.
The numbers get scarier for certain parts of Dallas. The Northeast division for DPD has seen the most significant increase year over year.
At this time last year, only 1,473 auto thefts were reported for that division. So far this year, 2,820 have been reported -- a 91% increase.
Per the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Chevrolet and Ford trucks were the hottest wheels stolen in 2022 in Texas.
Right now, according to police experts dealing in auto theft. a common way those trucks, specifically newer ones, are stolen goes like this: Thieves disable the horn by pulling the leads from the horn terminal, then they'll punch the key cylinder on the driver side door, and when they do that, the anti-theft alarm goes off but it doesn't honk or draw attention because the horn is disabled.
The horn terminal can be found directly behind the grill of most newer trucks, so it's an easy pull with a hook. Once inside, most thieves plug into the vehicle's OBD port to access the computer and program a new key. Once that's done, they're driving off within minutes.
Relay attacks are also a thing, but less frequent.
It usually involves two people working together. One stands by the targeted vehicle, while the other stands near a home or apartment complex with a device that can pick up a proximity signal from the key fob. Moreover, some devices can pick up a signal within 100 meters.
The device then relays the key fob's signal directly to the car, allowing the thieves to enter and do their thing. The best way to prevent that is to put your fob in a metal box when you arrive home to prevent the signal from being found.
Some of the easiest and cheapest ways to prevent theft are old school: Get a steering wheel lock or something that will immobilize the vehicle even if the thieves successfully enter it.
There's a variety of them on Amazon, and a thief will likely move on to another vehicle instead of targeting yours.
Another way to stop vehicle theft is by installing a kill switch, that's something that's wired to prevent the vehicle from starting unless the switch is flipped or pressed.
These are usually subtle and hidden, and thieves don't have the time to waste by looking around for them.
If you have the cash, a GPS device and a fancy alarm are always a good deterrent; an alarm with a vibration sensor set off by barely touching the vehicle is always preferred.
If you can't afford that, an Apple Air Tag is something you can throw in your vehicle to keep track of it if it's reprogrammed and stolen. They're incredibly affordable for the service they provide and easy to hide.