A man who drove off when police woke him in a Honda Civic later admitted to stealing and selling catalytic converters and carrying a loaded pistol, according to the complaint.
Ma Nop, 32, faces three charges: receiving stolen property, possession of burglary or theft tools and carrying a pistol without a permit.
According to the complaint, Saint Paul police saw two people slumped in a Honda Civic just after midnight. Officers noticed a car jack and flashlights inside the vehicle, items commonly used in catalytic converter thefts. When an officer knocked on the driver’s window, the driver, later identified as Ma Nop, woke up, started the car and drove off at a high rate of speed without headlights.
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Police later found the passenger walking nearby and detained him. Officers saw wire cutters and a flashlight sticking out of his sweatshirt pouch and he was carrying a heavy backpack.
Officers found the Honda Civic abandoned a short distance away with the car jack and flashlights still inside. They then saw Nop walking nearby, also carrying a full backpack. Police stopped and identified him, learning he had an active felony warrant. After being read his rights, Nop told police he fled because of his warrants and was arrested.
During a search of Nop’s backpack, officers found a Sawzall and a loaded pistol. Nop admitted to police that the items found in the vehicle were his and that he participated in stealing catalytic converters. He also admitted the tools in the trunk were used in thefts and that he sold stolen catalytic converters. Nop told police he bought the handgun from a friend and carried it for his safety. The complaint says he does not have a valid permit to carry a firearm.
Police obtained a search warrant for the Honda Civic and found two catalytic converters in the trunk, one with a Toyota symbol, along with a car jack, a large garbage bag and multiple saw blades. Nop admitted to cutting a catalytic converter off a Toyota Prius near where police first saw him.
The charges were filed October 27 in Ramsey County District Court.
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Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; Ramsey County Community Corrections operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
