Classic Car Stolen from Monrovia in 2011 Recovered in Chop Shop Bust

A 1960 Chevrolet Impala stolen from the Monrovia area was among three classic cars recovered during a recent bust of a chop shop.

Don Faison, 44, of Quartz Hill, was arrested Wednesday and booked on felony suspicion of operating a chop shop, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Jess Corral of the Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention, known as TRAP.

Faison was released Wednesday night on $50,000 bail, and preliminarily was scheduled to appear at the LAX Courthouse on Aug. 27, the sheriff's department reported.

On July 24, detectives acting on a tip served a search warrant at a residence in the 4600 block of West Avenue M-12, where they impounded four vehicles, Corral said.

Three of the vehicles were determined to have been stolen, including a 1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible, which was taken in March of 2007 from the Los Angeles area, Corral said.

Faison was not at the location when the warrant was served, but detectives conducted a follow-up investigation and arrested him on Wednesday, Corral said.

Authorities returned the 1958 Impala convertible to its owner, Corral said.

"It should be noted that the victim, who was the original owner ... had no insurance for this vehicle at the time of theft," Corral said.

"When the vehicle was located during this operation and returned to him, he found that the suspect(s) had completely restored his vehicle from the frame up," Corral said.

"The vehicle had been repainted, new upholstery added, etc. In essence, his vehicle was returned in better condition than before it was stolen," Corral said. "This doesn't occur very often, and he is a lucky individual."

Two other stolen cars were also recovered: a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air that was stolen in May of 2011 from the Santa Monica area, and a 1960 Chevrolet Impala that was stolen in April of 2011 from the Monrovia area.