Grand Theft Auto: Real Life

In 1994, Texas lawmakers reduced motor vehicle theft to a misdemeanor, rather than a felony. This caused the city of Houston's car burglaries to climb by more than 20%. Seeing the damage they caused, the legislators upgraded grand theft auto to a felony again in 2007 because it is damage to personal property.

Methods Used to Steal

Although it is often called grand theft auto—not the video game—motor vehicle theft applies to everything from cars to buses to snowmobiles. Some common ways to steal vehicles include:

• Carjacking – taking vehicles by force
• Without keys – breaking in and hotwiring or towing
• With keys – either stealing the keys and then stealing the car, or thieving an unattended vehicle with the keys inside
• Fraud – acquiring or buying a vehicle that is known to be stolen

Tools Used to Steal

You might have seen people who have locked their keys in their car struggling with a wire coat hanger in order to open their car. Such simple apparatuses are still useful, although stealing cars has become more and more high-tech. Some tools that you might have to protect your car against include:

• Slide Hammer Pull
• “Slim Jims,” or other rod-and-hook implements
• RFID Microreaders which intercept the remote lock, unlock, and start signals and reproduce them

Contact Us

With all of the ways and tools to steal motor vehicles, grand theft auto is not an uncommon crime. If you or someone you know has been jailed due to motor vehicle theft, please contact Austin jail release lawyer Ian Inglis today at 512-472-1950 for the legal representation you need.