Two people were arrested and two suspects remain at large for multiple catalytic converter thefts in the Los Feliz area early Friday morning, according to Los Angeles police. 

In a news release, LAPD officers said that they saw suspects “removing a catalytic converter from underneath a parked vehicle in the area of Rodney Drive and Los Feliz Boulevard” at around 3:40 a.m. that morning. 

A brief pursued occured when police tried to detain the suspects, who fled from the area in an unknown vehicle. It ended minutes later when the suspects lost control and crashed. 

Two of the suspects, identified as 23-year-old Whittier man Elvin Ferrera and a 17-year-old boy from Huntington Park, were arrested at the scene. The two others fled from the area on foot and have not yet been located. 

Both of the suspects who were arrested were hospitalized for injuries sustained in the crash. Their conditions as of Saturday evening were not known. 

“During the investigaiton officers recovered five additional catalytic converters from the suspect vehicle,” the release said, noting that they have seen a “rise in catalytic converter thefts this year.”

They said that vehicle owners, especially those with Toyota sedans, should parkin well-lit areas or off the street when possible. 

Officers are working to determine if the recovered catalytic converters can be connected to other thefts in the area. 

Anyone who knows more was asked to contact Northeast Auto detectives at (323) 561-3257.

More from CBS News