ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul Police say a man was shot and injured after he confronted a group of people who were trying to steal a catalytic converter.
The shooting happened around 2:40 a.m. Sunday in the 1100 block of Marion Street in the North End neighborhood. Squads were dispatched to the scene after 911 operators received multiple reports of shots fired.
Officers arrived to find broken glass and blood in the street, and were met by a 56-year-old woman who told them her son had been shot. A short time later police were notified that the 23-year-old victim had arrived at Regions Hospital after being transported by his sister. He was immediately treated for a gunshot wound to the chest, and is expected to survive.
Police spokesman Steve Linders says witnesses told investigators that the victim interrupted a catalytic converter theft in-progress, and the suspects jumped in a car and fled. When the victim jumped in a vehicle and gave chase, he was shot.
"I heard like six shots,” said Guadalupe Moreno, who lives on the street and knows the victim. “I got up and I saw the area taped off out here and at the corner.”
At this point no arrests have been made.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), catalytic converter thefts have seen a significant increase across the country since March of 2020, the start of the global pandemic.
Catalytic converters are a target mainly due to their three valuable metals — platinum, rhodium and palladium – which are stolen and sold for more money.
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