ABC13 learned that catalytic converter thieves may have taken advantage of all those cars parked downtown to line their pockets.
"We started the truck up, and immediately my husband and I looked at each other," Emily Chapa said.
Chapa, her husband, and their two boys drove to Houston from Austin for the parade.
Packing up in their Toyota Tundra, Chapa said they got in town early to look for good parking.
They passed up spots near the parade route for a residential street in Midtown at Dennis and Crawford because she said it felt safe.
But after hours of celebration, they returned to their truck and heard that tell-tale loud rumble.
It was the sound of four catalytic converters stolen from their vehicle.
They got the truck to an auto shop in Katy, which told them they were not alone.
"They pointed to a row of other Toyotas lined up along the fence and said we were the 11th vehicle to come in that day from the parade," Chapa said.
Houston police didn't specify yet how many drivers were victimized while parked downtown Monday but they said Toyota Tundras are a popular target because they carry four catalytic converters.
And inside the AutoNation Chrysler dealer in Katy, that familiar sound of another catalytic converter missing rumbles through their service center.
The Dodge truck was brought in on Tuesday -- a familiar sight for mechanics who said they had just replaced a catalytic converter on the same vehicle two weeks prior.
"Generally, anything that has a better fuel economy is a bigger target because it has more of the precious metals that are worth more," General Manager Kolby Wahl said.
The Chapa family made it back to Austin with a patch job on their truck but said they won't let vandalism mar their love for Astros baseball.
"When they win again next year, we will be coming back with either a different vehicle or one with a skid plate on it," Chapa said.
Houston police shared a list of the most popular vehicles targeted for catalytic converters, ranked in no particular order:
- Toyota Tundra
- Toyota Tacoma
- Toyota 4-Runner
- Toyota Sequoia
- Toyota Prius
- Honda CRV
- Honda Element
- Ford trucks
- Dodge trucks
- Chevy trucks
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