San Pablo police have nicknamed an auto theft suspect “Mr. Parkour” after he and a female suspect were seen jumping from rooftop to rooftop while fleeing officers.
The case unfolded on Oct. 29 but an arrest occurred in the wake of a second police pursuit early Monday that ended in a fiery car crash at Bissell Avenue and 15th Street in Richmond, police said.
On Oct. 29, a man flagged down San Pablo officers saying he just saw his brother’s stolen Chevy being stripped down by two people down the street. When officers arrived at the location, the two auto thieves dropped their tools and ran off.
“Officers chased the two suspects through several backyards, until they both climbed onto the roofs of nearby houses and were seen jumping from rooftop to rooftop,” police said.
The suspects at one point allegedly attempted to break into a house. Despite help from the Richmond Police Department and the California Highway Patrol Air Support Division, the suspects disappeared. But the main suspect left behind his wallet in the stolen Chevy that helped police identify him as a 36-year-old Antioch man. Also left behind was a backpack containing a loaded stolen gun, bullets, a bullet proof vest, and burglary tools.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect was on parole for similar crimes and was not allowed to possess firearms, police said.
Fast forward to Monday morning, when officers located a different stolen Chevy suburban driving through San Pablo. After attempting to stop the car, the driver led them on a brief pursuit. Due to the dangerous driving, officers canceled the pursuit. But a CHP helicopter followed the vehicle’s path.
The pursuit came to an end when the suspect “tried to ram an officer in his patrol car by playing chicken,” police said. The stolen Chevy missed hitting the patrol car by inches and ended up crashing into a parked vehicle. The Chevy kept going, however, and crashed into another parked car before the suspect fled on foot, leaving his loot behind in the stolen car, police said.
The suspect then ran into someone’s house to hide, but gave up when he heard K-9 Riggs outside, police said.
Officers found two more loaded stolen guns in the stolen car, police said.
