Police say catalytic converter thefts continue widespread in the area, and a man in northwest Houston was shot overnight trying to prevent his from being stolen.
The man is expected to survive a wound to the chest he received just after midnight on Thousand Oaks Court.
The victim first called police to report a group of men were trying to steal the converter from his pickup truck.
Then, the man went outside to confront the suspects, and an individual came from underneath the truck and shot him, according to police. The suspects escaped in a grey Dodge Charger.
A catalytic converter, stolen from a vehicle in just minutes, can be worth more than $1,500 on the black market. It's part of the exhaust system and is intended to reduce pollutants. The devices contain precious metals like palladium, platinum and rhodium. They can be very expensive for owners to replace.
Recently, thieves targeted a METRO Park and Ride lot and got away with a score of the units while car owners were at work.