Alleged motorcycle chop shop shut down by Irvine police
Irvine Police arrested two siblings Wednesday, May 20, who were suspected of stealing motorcycles throughout Orange County and running a chop shop operation out of their homes in Whittier and Norwalk, officials said Thursday.
Vincent Catanho, 49, and Bonnie Catanho, 47, were arrested in Pico Rivera and booked at the Orange County Jail on suspicion of multiple crimes including the theft of motorcycles, residential burglary, operating a chop shop and conspiracy, Irvine Police Department officials said in a news release. They were each in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail as of Thursday, according to inmate records.
A chop shop refers to places where stolen vehicles are dismantled into parts, which are easier to sell and harder to trace by law enforcement.
Video recorded in the parking garages at apartment complexes in Irvine showed the brother and sister loading motorcycles into the back of a van, Irvine Police Sgt. Karie Davies said. The van was registered to Vincent Catanho, who works as a mechanic, according to inmate records.
The investigation led Irvine Police to obtain a warrant and search a storage unit in Pico Rivera, Vincent Catanho’s home in Whittier and Bonnie Catanho’s residence in Norwalk. Officers working with the Orange County Auto Theft Task Force recovered six motorcycles in different stages of being torn apart.
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Two of the bikes had been stolen from Irvine within the past week. One is a 2017 Ducati 959 Paingale that was reported missing Monday and valued at roughly $13,000, Davies said. The other is a 2016 BMW S1000R stolen on Wednesday and worth about $11,000. Authorities were working to determine who owned the stolen vehicles and parts.
Police suspect the Catanhos may have stolen motorcycles throughout Orange County. They were due to appear in court Friday, May 22.
Police ask anyone with information relevant to investigators working on this case to contact Detective Mahmood by calling 949-724-7130.