Tow truck driver arrested in series of car thefts in Douglas County

Douglas County sheriff’s detectives investigating stolen cars were able to link the car theft to a tow truck driver.

Denver Police officers arrested Brian Chacon of Eagle Wing Towing. The 33-year-old is charged with 48 counts of second-degree motor vehicle theft, 37 counts of forgery, and 37 counts of operating a chop shop. Police also discovered Chacon in possession of child pornography and is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of child pornography/possession of child pornography. All charges are felonies.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Auto Theft Unit was alerted in December 2023 that a car had been stolen and had information about other cases.

“It led them back to Eagle Wing Towing, where the owner reportedly picked up abandoned vehicles on the side of the road in Douglas County around the metropolitan area, hid them and then took them to a scrap yard to salvage them before they could be reported stolen,” said Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deborah Takahara.

Detectives said Chacon took multiple vehicles to U-Pull and Pay Lots in Denver and Aurora, and to the Littleton U-Pull. Eagle Wing Towing was allowed to store impounded vehicles in one impound lot. The reported stolen vehicles in Chacon’s possession were not taken to that impound lot.

“We had 48 vehicles that were confirmed stolen, and 10 of those were in Douglas County,” Takahara said. “Seven were in Castle Rock and two were in Lone Tree. In short, we believe 20 cars were tied to the Douglas County area.”

Detectives found 81 vehicles known to have been sold to a scrap yard by Chacon and Eagle Wing Towing. Others were found in Denver, Aurora and Commerce City. Officers also discovered that Chacon allegedly had child pornography in his possession through a search warrant executed for his phone.

Chacon is currently in the DCSO Jail on a $350,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Douglas County Court for a hearing Friday morning.

“I am very proud of the work of our patrol officers and detectives on this case. This suspect preyed on people who trusted that their vehicles would still be where they left them, whether they were broken down or not, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said in a written statement. “If you come to Douglas County to commit crimes, we will hold you accountable. We will not allow this to happen.”