On Tuesday morning, police shut down an illegal chop shop in Oakland and arrested two men on charges of auto theft, running an illegal chop shop and probation violation, according to a news release from the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division.
The home of the Avalos brothers was turned into a chop shop. This image from Google maps shows several vehicles out front.
At approximately 8:00 a.m., the Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Task Force, made up of members from the California Highway Patrol, the Alameda Sheriff’s Department, the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County Probation Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, conducted a probation search of an Oakland residence, assisted by CHP officers from the Golden Gate Division Foreign Export Auto Recovery (FEAR) team. During the search, the task force found evidence of an illegal chop shop being run out of the residence. Officers recovered five stolen VIN switched vehicles, along with tools and other evidence, and promptly shut down the shop. Two male Oakland residents were arrested:
Santos Avalos Jr., 25, was arrested for violation of probation, four felony counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, one felony count of owning or operating a chop shop and four felony counts of switching a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). His bail has been set at $110,000.
Juan Avalos, 20, was arrested for violation of probation, one felony count of auto theft, one felony count of possession of a stolen vehicle and one felony count of switching a VIN. His bail has been set at $20,000.
Both suspects were booked into the Alameda County Sheriff’s North County Jail. Both are scheduled to appear at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland this morning.
