Police arrest prolific car thief after spotting stolen van in Victoria

Victoria Police officers have managed to recover a vehicle that had been reported stolen on Thursday, while also being able to arrest a prolific car thief in the process.

Special duty patrol officers say they spotted the stolen Volkswagen Westfalia van on Friday morning at approximately 7 a.m.

The van was parked in the 900-block of Mason Street and officers thought it looked similar to one that had been reported stolen the previous day.

Upon further investigation of the vehicle, VicPD officers found that the van had a broken window and was sporting stolen plates.

“Despite minor alterations to the van made in an attempt to disguise it and the display of stolen B.C. plates, officers were able to confirm the van is the same one reported stolen the previous day,” reads a statement from Victoria Police.

Officers conducted a security search of the van and located a man inside. The man was suspected to be a car thief so officers arrested him and took him into custody.

Police say that after identifying the man, officers learned he was violating court-ordered conditions not to be inside a vehicle without the vehicle’s registered owner — conditions which stemmed from a series of previous vehicle theft convictions.

The man was transported to cells and held for court. The Volkswagen Westfalia van was recovered and returned to its proper owner as well.

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