Friends say Michael Moreno was run over after interrupting a theft outside his home in an unincorporated Pasadena neighborhood.
PASADENA, CA — A 38-year-old man remained in critical condition this week after friends said catalytic converter thieves ran him over during a confrontation on Garfias Drive in an unincorporated area near Pasadena on Feb. 12.
The case has drawn attention because it turned a property crime into a life-threatening assault. Michael Moreno, known to relatives and friends as Mikey, underwent emergency brain surgery after the encounter, and loved ones say he also suffered broken ankles and deep injuries to his legs. Detectives are reviewing surveillance video and looking into reports that other vehicles may have been targeted in the neighborhood the same night, adding to concern about whether the thieves moved through the area with a plan and more than one intended victim.
Friends said Moreno went outside after hearing a noise near his car before dawn on Feb. 12. On Garfias Drive, they said, he found someone stealing the catalytic converter from his vehicle and confronted the people involved. Nick Narevsky, a friend who spoke publicly about the attack, said the encounter ended almost immediately in violence. “Basically, they ran him over,” Narevsky said in a television interview. Loved ones said Moreno was rushed into emergency care and later underwent brain surgery. The attack was not described in public reports as a simple theft interrupted by chance. Instead, friends said the people involved appeared organized and ready to flee fast, with a vehicle positioned to get away as soon as they were challenged.
What investigators have publicly confirmed is still limited, and several basic questions remain unanswered. Authorities have not publicly identified the suspects, described the getaway vehicle in detail, or announced arrests in the reports available by Wednesday. Detectives are reviewing neighborhood surveillance footage, and local reporting said investigators are also examining whether other cars in the same area were targeted. That detail matters because it could show the theft was part of a larger sweep through the block rather than an isolated attempt. Moreno’s injuries, as described by friends, were severe: a brain injury, scarring to his legs and fractures in both ankles. Dean Brooks, another friend, said Moreno “took a hit,” summing up the scale of the trauma in blunt terms as family members and neighbors focused on his recovery and the search for those responsible.
The violence also lands in a state that has spent years trying to slow catalytic converter thefts, a crime driven by the resale value of the metals inside the parts. California has tightened rules on the sale and purchase of used catalytic converters, and a state law highlighted by the Department of Motor Vehicles in 2024 broadened the definition of vehicle theft crimes to include stolen vehicle parts such as catalytic converters. State regulators have also warned that experienced thieves can remove a converter in one to two minutes with basic tools, which helps explain why these thefts often happen in the dark and are over before a victim can react. National crime and insurance data show thefts have fallen from their peak, but the crimes have hardly disappeared. California has remained one of the states most affected, especially because common targets such as the Toyota Prius and other higher-clearance vehicles can be stripped quickly and sold into illegal recycling chains.
That broader criminal market has produced major prosecutions, including a federal case in California involving a nationwide converter theft network worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Those cases have helped explain why local thefts can look small at street level but still connect to large supply chains that reward speed, concealment and repeat targeting. In Moreno’s case, the immediate legal path is likely to depend on what video, witnesses and forensic evidence show about the vehicle and the people inside it. If detectives identify the driver and can show intent or extreme recklessness, prosecutors could weigh charges far more serious than theft alone. If the investigation confirms a coordinated theft crew, additional conspiracy or vehicle theft counts could also come into play. For now, the next visible step is the continuing review of surveillance footage and any public release of suspect details by investigators. No court date or charging announcement had been publicized in the reports reviewed Wednesday.
Friends have described Moreno less as a crime statistic than as a familiar neighborhood presence suddenly thrown into a fight for survival. In television interviews, they spoke about his smile, his generosity and the shock of seeing a routine residential street become the site of a crushing injury. Narevsky said the thieves appeared to have studied the home and the vehicle before the theft. “They had scouted out the house, they had scouted out the car, they had scouted out the vehicle,” he said. “They attacked. They were ruthless about what they did. They just do not care about human life.” Brooks, speaking about the aftermath, urged anyone who knows what happened to come forward. Family members and supporters have also set up an online fundraiser to help with what friends expect will be a long and expensive recovery.
As of Wednesday, Moreno remained in critical condition, detectives were still reviewing video from the neighborhood, and the central questions in the case were unchanged: who was in the vehicle, whether the block was hit more than once, and when investigators might name suspects or announce arrests.
Author note: Last updated March 11, 2026.