SEAGOVILLE, Texas — A big chop shop operation has been shut down at a warehouse in Dallas County, officials say.
Investigators said they recovered 17 stolen vehicles.
Seagoville police partnered with the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force to investigate a tip about stolen vehicles at a warehouse in the 2500 block of N. Highway 175 in Seagoville on Aug. 3.
Outside the building, the grass is overgrown. Some neighbors said they thought the property was abandoned.
After securing a warrant to search the property, investigators said they found an illicit chop shop. A chop shop is a place where stolen vehicles are dismantled and sold for parts.
Police and deputies also recovered 17 stolen vehicles.
”They were targeting Chevrolet and GMC-type vehicles. GM, General Motors vehicles. They had trucks and full-size SUVs,” said Raul Reyna, a public information officer with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
“They also found a lot of parts from similar type vehicles that included tailgates, doors, windows, tires, rims,” said Reyna.
Most of the recovered vehicles were reported stolen across seven cities in North Texas. The vehicles were stolen from areas, including Dallas, Mesquite, Duncanville, DeSoto, Lancaster, Coppell and Waxahachie.
A man who identified himself as the property owner of the warehouse said he was clueless to what tenants were doing inside the warehouse, until investigators raided the property this week.
“They worked at night. That’s all I can tell you. I never saw them in the daytime,” said Jerry Louis, the property owner.
Investigators said they are still working to identify who was operating the site.
This is the second big chop shop the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force has shut down this year. Back in January 2021, the team recovered more than 50 stolen vehicles from a different site in Dallas County.
This week, the Mother Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority issued Dallas County a large grant to help continue fighting auto theft.
As this investigation continues, detectives are urging anyone with information about the chop shop to call the Dallas County Sheriff Office North Texas Auto Theft Task Force.