San Diego

San Diego police have arrested five people allegedly conducting a downtown car-stripping business that preyed on Hondas and Acuras, authorities said Friday.

Detectives in the department’s auto theft unit uncovered what they described as a “major chop-shop operation” responsible for stripping and selling parts from at least 50 cars since September, a San Diego police spokesman said.

Police began an investigation about a month ago when several car carcasses were abandoned in the area around 29th Street and Broadway. Police interviewed people working in the area and were directed to a garage in the 2800 block of E Street, the spokesman said.

Officers served search warrants at the homes of five suspects and confiscated car parts from the garage. The parts came from late-model Acuras, Honda Preludes and Accords, police said.

Arrested were Binh Thanh Duong, 23; Du Dang 41; Son Vinh Nguyen, 25; Sung Chau, age unknown, and an unidentified woman. All were living in San Diego.