Failed catalytic converter theft ends with double stabbing, suspect held on $500K bail

Kitsap County brothers stabbed after suspect attempts to steal catalytic converter

Kitsap County deputies responded to an assault after two brothers interrupted a person attempting to steal the catalytic converter off of a vehicle in front of their business.

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. - A pair of brothers stabbed early Tuesday morning in Kitsap County were released from the hospital. Sheriff’s deputies say they were attacked trying to stop a stranger from stealing a catalytic converter from a cargo van parked outside their family’s tire garage.

The 36-year-old father of three appeared in court Wednesday, where officials said the man does not have a history of violent crime convictions in Washington state. His defense attorney asked for $250,000 bail but the judge overseeing the hearing worried that amount was not enough.

"The court has grave concerns about the substantial danger the defendant poses regarding a violent crime," said Superior Court Judge Kevin Hull.

That reason was just one as to why bail was set at $500,000 in the case. Investigators say they found drug paraphernalia and burglary tools inside the suspect’s car when he was arrested.

The stabbing happened at Betos Tires on SR 3 in Gorst around 3 a.m. Tuesday. The business owners woke up to their dogs barking and the sound of a saw. They ran outside to find the suspect allegedly trying to cut off the catalytic converter from underneath a black truck.

The owners held the stranger at gunpoint, but they put their gun away when they felt the danger was over, according to a family member, Tedo Santiago. That is when the suspect allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the men. One was Tedo’s father and the other his uncle. Both of them fought back using metal bars and held the stranger until police arrived.

"My dad is a small business owner. This is our lifeblood, without the business we’re homeless like everybody else," he said. "I’m sad my dad confronted him, but at the same time, why are you messing with a small business?"

The catalytic converter dangled from underneath the truck. The device is worth a few dollars at a recycling center, but Santiago says it could cost $2,000 to repair the damage to the company vehicle.

Converter thefts are on the rise across the state and around the country as it is the precious metals inside the devices that make them worth the money.

The suspect in this case is expected to be back in court in June.

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