A man in California died after the driver of a truck accidentally ran over him while he was trying to steal the vehicle's catalytic converter, police said.

Palmdale Sheriff's Deputies reached the scene after they received a report of a "grand theft in progress" and that a person was down. They found a Ford Excursion partially backed out of one of the parking stalls and a smaller vehicle parked next to it. The officers also found a Hispanic man lying on the ground after being run over by the backed-out vehicle, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

The man was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead. Cops later identified him as one of the suspects who were allegedly trying to steal the vehicle's catalytic converter.

The unidentified female driver was sleeping inside the truck when she heard some noises outside. Fearing someone was trying to break in, she started the vehicle and accidentally run over the man, police said.

"One of the male suspects exited the smaller vehicle and began sawing off the catalytic converter of the 4x4 Ford Excursion. The victim woke up from the sound, turned the car on, put the vehicle in reverse, and felt a bump like she ran something over," the news release read.

Investigators were treating the incident as a homicide but did not reveal if the female driver would face any charges. Meanwhile, three others who were allegedly involved in the theft were detained, NY Post reported.

Officers have not released the identities of the driver and the suspects.

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In another incident last month, a man from Atlanta stole a police patrol car during a traffic stop and crashed the vehicle into a train track following a police chase. The theft suspect, identified as Mickal Parker, was rescued seconds before the train hit the crashed vehicle. Parker faces multiple charges, including theft by taking, reckless driving, obstruction, damage to city property and fleeing and eluding.