SIMI VALLEY : 3 Charged Over Garage ‘Chop Shop’

A Simi Valley Police Department SWAT team was called in early Friday morning to aid in arresting a local man suspected of stealing cars and dismantling them to sell the parts.

Police said they brought in the SWAT team after detectives observing suspect Patrick Healy noticed a gun in his belt holster.

Healy, 32, had long been suspected of running a “chop shop” in the garage of his Valencia Avenue residence in Simi Valley, police said.

On Thursday, police received a tip that Healy had a white Ford pickup truck in his garage--the same vehicle they said had been stolen from a Metrolink parking lot in Simi Valley the week before.

Officers said they were told Healy was taking apart the engine of the truck and putting it into his own disabled Ford truck, which was parked in front of his house.

Healy was arrested and booked on grand theft auto and related charges.

His girlfriend, Teresa Reinhard,27, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property and other charges.

A second man, Michael Buss, 32, was also arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

Police said they found the remains of the stolen white truck inside the garage, dismantled. Verifying numbers were found on the front and center portions of the frame.