Man Accused Of Stealing 14 Cars In Los Angeles During Pandemic

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Car theft in L.A. County has increased 18 percent since this time last year.

The year 2020 has been one for the record books, and it has likely changed what we consider normal from here on out. In a time that should have us coming together - at a social distance, of course - has been tearing our nation apart. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, data shows that car thefts have increased in the county during the pandemic. According to the Taskforce for Regional Auto Theft Protection (TRAP), a 24-year-old man named Jose Enrique Esquivel is accused of stealing more than a dozen cars singlehandedly. As of right now, we are looking into what makes and models of the cars he stole over the two month period.

"He [Esquivel] would commit crime number one and then because of the zero bail policy, he was naturally released due to the pandemic. Within days or sometimes hours of being released from police custody, he would turn around and commit the exact same crime," said Alex Karkanen, a Deputy District Attorney with TRAP.