9 arrested as police say they tried to steal Ram pickups from the factory

Another day, another attempted theft of Ram pickups: Police in Sterling Heights, Michigan, nabbed nine suspects Tuesday morning while the nine, according to arresting officers, were trying to steal a number of Ram 1500 pickup trucks stockpiled in a shipping yard at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant where the trucks are built.

The heist was foiled after one of the suspects struck a police car and another rammed an exit gate as they attempted to flee the secured lot on 17 Mile Road in Sterling Heights, police said. No injuries were reported.

Detectives are investigating whether the group may have been been involved in other similar vehicle thefts, Sterling Heights Police Lt. Mario Bastianelli told the Detroit Free Press.

Stellantis, the company that owns the Ram Trucks brand, along with Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge, said that security at the shipping yard is managed by a third party.

A few years ago, thieves entered a Fiat Chrysler storage lot in Warren, Michigan, stole “10 or 11” 2018 Ram trucks, and crashed through a gate. The “convoy” got away, police said. They said that the thieves came to the plant in another Ram — a 2003 pickup stolen from a Warren home.

About a year ago, we reported on a number of such heists in and around the Detroit area. Stealing a new vehicle from a storage lot is reportedly easier than it might sound, the story said: Keys are normally left inside of the vehicles on lots while they’re waiting to be dispatched to dealers.