A 55-year-old man is facing preliminary charges after Indianapolis police say they tore the lid off an alleged chop shop on the city's near northeast side, recovering 16 stolen vehicles in various stages of being stripped for parts. Investigators also found parts linked to five additional stolen vehicles and seized nearly $4,000 in cash.
Anthony Scott Owens was arrested following the investigation, according to WISH-TV. The case traces back to Sunday, when officers responded to the 2800 block of North Euclid Avenue to recover a single stolen vehicle. That routine recovery call turned into something much bigger once detectives started digging.
Police secured a search warrant after learning that stolen vehicles had previously been recovered at the same location and that vehicles were being stripped for parts there, per the same station's report. Officers executed that warrant Tuesday and recovered the 16 stolen vehicles, along with vehicle parts tied to five more cars reported stolen elsewhere. The $3,900 in cash found during the search is being held for forfeiture, the report notes.
Preliminary Charges Filed, Final Decision Still Pending
Owens faces preliminary charges of auto theft and corrupt business influence, according to the station's account. Those charges remain allegations at this stage, and no finding of guilt has been made.
According to Fox 59's original reporting on the case, the arrest stemmed from a joint operation involving IMPD detectives, the IMPD Regional Auto Theft Task Force, Nuisance and Abatement, and Indiana State Police. The outlet reported that the Marion County Prosecutor's Office will make the final charging decision.
A Familiar Pattern on Indianapolis's East Side
This is far from the first time Indianapolis police have unearthed a sprawling stolen-car operation on the city's east side. A 2022 investigation at 2833 N. Euclid Avenue turned up 20 stolen vehicles, according to a separate Fox 59 report, though accounts of that earlier bust vary slightly: one Fox 59 account and a report from WRTV both described the figure as 20 or more vehicles recovered at the same property. In that 2022 case, IMPD Capt. Chris Boomershine said at the time that “we are seeing a disturbing trend of Dodge and Chrysler's products being stolen.”
Other east-side investigations have produced similarly striking numbers. A 2023 pursuit led IMPD to an east-side junk yard where officers found at least 16 stolen vehicles, WRTV reported, while a separate scrapyard case uncovered at least 15 stolen vehicles beyond the one that triggered the investigation, according to Fox 59. Another near-east-side case turned up 12 stolen vehicles from several states with a combined reported value of $1,022,000, with that investigation beginning after Massachusetts State Police contacted IMPD about a vehicle reportedly pinging in the 1000 block of South Keystone Avenue.
It is not established whether this week's near-northeast side case involves the same property tied to those earlier scrapyard investigations. What is clear, based on the latest search, is that Indianapolis investigators continue to find stolen cars being dismantled for parts faster than any single bust seems to shut the practice down.
