OAKLAND — Within just one hour, the same group of thieves pulled up in a stolen black Dodge Durango to two different stores here, smashed through the front, and unloaded thousands of dollars in cash, lottery tickets, cigar wraps and other merchandise before making a getaway.
By November, police had identified and arrested just one of the four masked suspects in the September break-ins. But when they raided his Fremont home, they found evidence of more crimes: Dodge key fobs and a simple key reprogrammer kit that is the primary tool of the trade for car thieves across the state, according to court records.
Key reprogrammers can be hooked into plugs behind panels of modern cars — from the expensive and stylish to clunkers — and are used to aid owners who’ve lost their keys. But the technology is ripe for misuse, according to police. Anyone can purchase them online, and a knowledgable thief can use them to start and steal a car in about 30 seconds, authorities say.
The suspect in the two Oakland store break-ins, identified in court records as 18-year-old Raul Chapina-Gonzalez, has been charged with second-degree robbery, burglary and vandalism in the Sept. 2 spree. But now East Bay police are also investigating Chapina-Gonzalez and others for alleged involvement in a large auto theft ring targeting high-end cars for resale. At the time of his arrest, Chapina-Gonzalez was out of jail in a case involving allegations he kept a gun and drugs in the same room as a young child in his Fremont apartment, court records show.
Authorities say they’ve found Instagram posts where Chapina-Gonzalez posted lists of stolen vehicles for sale, and that identical lists were posted on other accounts. He also bragged about getting rich off “strikes,” a slang term for stolen cars, according to police. Another account that posted the identical stolen car list also posted a picture of several firearms next to an Autel key reprogrammer typical of those used in car thefts, and inquired for help locating someone who could switch VINs on a stolen Lexus, authorities said. Thus far, no charges have been filed.
Key reprogrammers, combined with other tricks of the car theft trade, can make re-sale relatively easy. If someone has access to a VIN-switching and crooked third party re-registration service — sometimes offered by local chop shop owners — they can re-register a vehicle, list it on third-party online markets and sell it to an unwitting person before the police get wise to the situation.
Generally, the California Highway Patrol recommends drivers ask their car manufacturers for “model-specific guidance” on how to block the access point that key re-programmers use, which is an onboard diagnostic port, commonly known as an OBD II and typically accessible under a front seat panel that has been mandated for passenger cars since 1996. Some locks or kill switches can be bought and installed aftermarket, but the price varies. Other prevention tips are more rudimentary, such as keeping cars parked behind residence gates or using a club device to lock the steering wheel.
But a change might be on the horizon. In January, a new law — AB 486 — will classify key reprogrammers as a potential burglary tool alongside shaved keys and other such devices, and can make their possession a misdemeanor under state law.
In this case, the auto theft ring appears to be the work of the Baine Gang, a Newark-based Norteño subset whose members have been linked to several car theft rings over the years, including a 2022 multi-million dollar theft ring that involved the use of a chop shop, and a nonfatal shooting in San Pablo that resulted from a car owner confronting thieves, according to court records.
In 2023, Chapina-Gonzalez, then a juvenile, was one of several people investigated in a suspected carjacking crew whose members shot a woman in the leg during one theft, with a gun that was later used to kill a man in El Cerrito, authorities said.
More recent events events linked to the gang include several instances in Union City, including one on Sept. 18, where three suspected members of the car theft ring stole a Lexus with a key reprogrammer. Six days later, three to four suspects stole a Chevrolet Camaro and threatened the owner with guns when he came outside to confront them. Two days after that, a stolen Dodge Charger crashed at a traffic light, and the suspect fled. The driver of the other vehicle was hospitalized, authorities said.
Last year, Alameda County ranked second to only Los Angeles County in reported auto thefts, though the number, roughly 19,000, was almost a third of what Los Angeles reported. Last year, 176,230 cars were stolen across the state, according to the CHP, but the brand predictability may give most car owners some peace of mind.
A report issued by the CHP this year tracks the top 10 most stolen brands of automobiles and trucks/SUVs. On both lists, all brands except one were either a Hyundai, a Kia, or a Chevrolet.