Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man suspected of stealing catalytic converters early Wednesday morning.
Sheriff's officials say a resident in the 900 block of Diamond Drive in Orcutt called 911 after seeing two people stealing a catalytic converter just before 3:30 a.m.
Deputies responded to the area and spotted a vehicle on nearby Spencer Drive that matched the description of the car the suspected thieves were driving.
Sheriff's officials say the suspects parked the vehicle and ran off.
One of the two people, identified as Xiong Vue, 31, of Merced, was reportedly located on Cherry Avenue and taken into custody.
Officials say deputies found several catalytic converters in the suspect's car, along with a car jack and other tools.
Vue was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
To avoid catalytic converter theft, sheriff's officials recommend people parking inside a garage or secured yard, install motion detector lights near parking areas, install a catalytic converter protection device, and educate neighbors to be on the lookout for thieves.
