2 people, including teenager, arrested for airbag theft in Howard County, police say

    WASHINGTON (WBAL) -- A teenager and another man were arrested in connection to a string of airbag thefts in Howard County, Howard County police said.

Officers found 31 stolen airbags inside of a stolen car on Tuesday when police said they responded to calls of multiple airbag thefts in Columbia.

"One of the witnesses to those airbag thefts gave a vehicle description for what the suspects were driving," said Seth Hoffman with Howard County police. "So, we had officers making area checks, and one of them spotted that vehicle that then fled. So, we pursued it for a short period of time, caught up to it, stopped it."

Officers arrested a 15-year-old boy and a 25-year-old man.

At least 13 of the airbags were stolen in Howard County. Police believe some of the others were stolen in other areas.

Hoffman said thieves usually smash a window to access the airbags, and it only takes seconds for them to retrieve the airbag.

"We're seeing, nationally, that they're being stolen and then resold, just because of the prevalence of these types of vehicles — these Honda's and Toyota's mostly," Hoffman said.

Avi Amoyal is the owner of Roland Falls Auto Body in Hampden.

"Well, airbags are expensive," Amoyal said. "They'll come in, they'll pop the airbag, and then they'll try to sell it in the aftermarket for whoever buys it."

Amoyal said there are several things people can do to try to prevent airbag theft.

"Step one, always lock your car. Step two, if you have an alarm system on the car, activate it," he said.

Police said a wheel lock is also a good deterrent.

"They're looking for quick-strike opportunities, so something that's going to slow them down, or make it more difficult, they'll likely bypass that vehicle," Hoffman said.