Early Wednesday morning, a resident of West Miami-Dade County experienced a harrowing encounter with would-be thieves that underscores the rise in catalytic converter thefts. This is one of the most overlooked crimes that grew in frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fortunately, the victim was armed and was able to fight off a pair of thieves trying to steal the catalytic converter from his vehicle. Here’s how the confrontation went down:

Miami-Dade Police Det. Andre Martin said a resident was in his home when he heard power tools in the parking lot.

The resident saw two people under his vehicle trying to remove the catalytic converter, so he armed himself and confronted the suspects, Martin said.

“When I went out to walk my dog at 4:45, I hear power tools going off and I go 'what the hell is going on?' I lean over my balcony and I see two guys underneath my truck working to cut off the catalytic converter," owner Luis Vega said. “They got out of the car and they had the gall to come walking. They wanted their tools because they knew they had their prints on them and I said 'no, that’s not going to happen.' So I came back up and I took shelter behind the wall. They go along a sidewalk. One of them crouches behind a pickup truck, points a gun and cranks out two rounds but of course I already took cover. What did I do? I returned fire and they ran.”

Martin said there was an exchange of gunfire, and the two suspects fled the scene in a vehicle.

The catalytic converter is a component designed to reduce vehicle emissions. It has become a target for thieves due to the high cost of the part and the precious metals it contains. These metals, such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium can fetch a pretty penny on the black market. Moreover, the ease with which the part can be removed led to a surge in thefts in different areas of the country.

From Minnesota, to Colorado, Virginia, Texas and beyond, catalytic converter thefts skyrocketed in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau recorded 64,701 insurance claims for converter thefts last year, up significantly from 16,660 claims in 2020.

That's probably an undercount. The bureau's reports leave out other thefts reported to law enforcement or thefts from uninsured vehicles.

In 2022, the Justice Department said they had taken down a $545 million catalytic converter theft ring and made searches, arrests and seizures across at least nine states.

Footage from a doorbell camera showed two men under the car attempting to remove the component. Another video showed the thieves fleeing after gunshots sounded. Thanks to the quick action of the vehicle owner, the men were unable to steal the catalytic converter. Detective Martin warned against engaging with criminals and urged people to “call the police and we will be there to assist you in this situation as fast as we can.”

However, it's unlikely the police would have been able to show up in time to prevent the thieves from taking Vega’s property. One can debate the wisdom of confronting criminals attempting to steal property, but in this case, the citizen was fired upon first before he shot back. In this instance, it became self-defense.

Either way, one never knows when they will accidentally come across a criminal trying to steal parts from a vehicle. In those situations, gun ownership becomes even more important. It's impossible to predict when such a scenario could escalate into a deadly encounter.