Alleged chop shop operators arrested in Woodland Hills

Two men are in custody for allegedly running a chop shop in Woodland Hills, sheriff's officials said.

Johann Cass, 20, and Mitchell Landau, 34, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of operating a chop shop and were jailed on $50,000 bail each, according to jail records.

The alleged operation was discovered when the owner of a classic car that was stolen launched his own search for the vehicle.

The 1949 Ford Shoebox was stolen from the Woodland Hills area in May. Five months later, the owner found similar car parts listed for sale on Craigslist and contacted the seller, posing as a potential buyer.

After going to the seller's home and confirming the parts came from his car, the owner alerted the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

Detectives from a regional auto theft task force posing as buyers went to the suspect's home on the 5300 block of Alhama Drive in Woodland Hills.

Along with the Shoebox parts, they allegedly found a Honda CR125 dirt bike reported stolen in May.

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-- Abby Sewell