First Published:
10:55 AM PST, January 25, 2023
A would-be thief got a wake-up call in the form of a good swift dropkick while allegedly attempting to steal a catalytic converter in Missouri.
Donny Buehler had parked his car in front of his house while he made a brief stop at home in the middle of the workday, and while he was getting ready to head out he heard something suspoicious.
Video captured the moment when Donny says he realized someone was trying to steal his catalytic converter, and he rushed into action.
Donny immediately kicked the man while he was still under the car. Donny says the alleged thief then threatened him with a power saw after scrambling out from under the car.
Donny did not retreat.
He even tried to jump into the passenger seat of the alleged thief’s car while he sped off, but he failed to get into the vehicle in time.
“I was home for lunch and came up the lock my house like I usually do. I heard a strange buzzing noise almost like metal on metal,” Donny tells Inside Edition.
“So I put two and two together, thinking they’re going to saw off my catalytic converter. It has been a problem in this area for quite some time.”
As rewarding as it was to stop an alleged thief in the act, not everyone was thrilled with Donny’s decision to go after a man who had a power saw.
“My wife was not happy with my choices,” says Donny.
Catalytic converters are an expensive filter system near the exhaust pipe. They cost about $3,000.
Thieves can sell them on the black market, where they are often melted down so the expensive precious metals can be used to make the devices.
There has been a drastic uptick in thefts of catalytic converters over the past few years.
