Inside an Abandoned 'Chop Shop'

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

Is entering an abandoned 'chop shop' considered a wise thing to do? No, it isn’t, and for a few different reasons:

1) There are usually “no trespassing” signs in plain view. That means you can be prosecuted if caught.
2) There are plenty of pieces of tools, equipment, broken glass and rusty, pointy objects that can pierce right through your foot.
3) If it was indeed a 'chop shop', then the people who were running it were breaking the law. If the “owner” finds you on or inside the property.....well, just don't take that chance.

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What is a 'chop shop'? Well, it ain’t a karate school, or a joint where you can get pork chops. There are several barber shops that refer to themselves as ‘chop shops’, but that’s not what these are.

A 'chop shop' is usually found in a garage, whether a personal one or a former business auto repair garage. Stolen vehicles are brought here, taken apart, and the parts sold. The ‘chopping’ refers to the altering of the vehicle in order to mask correct identification. When caught, the people guilty can be charged with either a felony or misdemeanor and end up shelling out thousands of dollars in fines and up to three years in prison.

Okay, so what laws are actually being broken? Most 'chop shop' cases are prosecuted under these laws: Altering Vehicle Identification, Numbers Owning or operating a 'chop shop', and Receiving Stolen Property.

The gallery below takes you inside an abandoned Detroit 'chop shop', with a good many photos of stripped automobiles, and even an old boat!