A man who allegedly stole an excavator from a contractor’s jobsite got caught on a deputy's bodycam in the act of trying to sell it — across the street from the contractor’s business.
The 2017 Cat 305.5E was reported stolen September 19 by Tucci and Sons, a third-generation, family-owned heavy highway construction company based in Tacoma, Washington. Six days later, the owner saw the 5.3-metric-ton mini excavator posted for sale on Facebook Marketplace, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
The owner recognized the location in the for-sale ad as a storage business just across the street from one of the company’s asphalt plants, according to KIRO 7 News. The Sheriff’s Office set up an appointment with the seller via Facebook Marketplace, disguising its real identity, and headed to the storage business that night.
(Check out the bodycam video at the end of this article.)
As they pulled up, three men were seen standing near the excavator that was parked outside a storage shed, the bodycam video shows.
A deputy lined up the men and told them to wait while he checked the excavator’s serial number.
When the deputy told them the excavator was reported stolen, two of the men said they were there to buy it.
Powered by“Well, who are you buying it from?” the deputy asked.
“From him,” they said and pointed to the third man standing near them — likely starting to realize he had been duped by the deputies.
Deputies confirmed the excavator’s serial number matched the one reported by the contractor. A 23-year-old man was arrested and booked into the Pierce County Jail.
“It was later learned that this wasn't the suspect's first rodeo for selling stolen property and heavy equipment,” said Deputy Carly Cappetto on the Facebook video. “And he is being investigated in other cases as well.”
Check out the Pierce County Sheriff's Office bodycam video below of the busted sales of the stolen excavator. (Note: The incident begins at time stamp 1:50 after an unrelated arrest also caught on video.)
