Michigan troopers find auto hauler loaded up with cars stolen from police departments

Michigan State Police (MSP) recently made an unusual discovery while following up on a tip about a stolen car.

MSP says that the incident began on October 21 just before 10 p.m. when they received a 911 call regarding a stolen car with a GPS tracker attached. The caller was able to provide police with the vehicle’s location and units were dispatched to a freeway in Van Buren Township.

Troopers initially believed that the vehicle was moving under its own power, but when they arrived on scene they discovered a car with the stolen vehicle’s registration plate loaded on a commercial car hauler.

Troopers stopped the truck.

During the traffic stop, the truck driver, a resident of Long Beach, California, stated that he recently purchased the semi-tractor trailer and was currently en-route to Belleville to pick up another vehicle.  Police conducted an inventory search of the tractor that resulted in the recovery of approximately $10,000.00 cash.

Troopers also found several vehicles that had been stolen from local police stations — A 2020 Dodge Charger reported stolen out of Warren Police Department, a 2017 Dodge Challenger reported stolen out of Detroit Police Department, and a 2018 Dodge Charger reported stolen of Southfield Police Department were recovered.

The incident remains under investigation by the MSP Southeast Auto Theft Team.