Suspect used tow truck to steal vehicles, Houston police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police believe a man may have been disguising himself as a legitimate tow truck driver to steal vehicles.

On Monday, officers received a report that a tow truck stole a vehicle. On Tuesday, an officer spotted a suspicious wrecker heading south on the Southwest Freeway.

"While in route to the station to go off duty, (an officer) ended up seeing the wrecker driver on the freeway and noticed the wrecker driver didn't have a license plate on his vehicle," said Sgt. Kelvin Johnson of Houston police.

When the officers tried to pull the driver over, he took off. A 10-minute chase wound up in Sugar Land. That's when police realized the case might be bigger than one vehicle.

"What we believe is that this wrecker driver, this suspect, is involved with possibly an auto theft ring," Johnson said.

Licensed tow truck driver Billy Lemus was on scene to take the wrecker away. He explained to Eyewitness News what people should look for on tow trucks.

According to Lemus, there should be a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) number on the front side. The name of the business and storage location should also be on the vehicle.

You should also check the back, where multiple plates should be: One for a license and the other showing where the truck is allowed to work.

Officers say this truck was missing nearly all of those, which is why the licensed tow truck driver couldn't wait to take the vehicle away.

"A lot of people hate wrecker drivers because of guys like him. They do a lot of illegal stuff that they're not supposed to be doing, and we're following the law and all of the requirements, and this guy is breaking the law and doing illegal business," Lemus said.

The suspect's tow truck had a business name on the side. Eyewitness News called the company. The owner said the vehicle was sold more than a year ago, and the buyer was supposed to remove the name.

Officers said the investigation is ongoing.

Follow Nick Natario on Twitter and Facebook.