A homeless Sacramento man is facing numerous felony charges after allegedly stealing a police cruiser and leading officers on a chase Friday that ended only after dozens of officers responded near Lodi.
The incident began around 12:30 p.m. when Sacramento police responded to reports of vandalism near Marysville Boulevard and South Avenue.
A caller stated that a homeless man launched an unprovoked assault by throwing a bucket at her vehicle’s tire and then chasing her while brandishing a large stick, KCRA reported.
As officers attempted to detain the suspect, he ran from police and jumped into a patrol vehicle after officers got out to pursue him on foot, according to authorities.
The suspect then drove off in the cruiser, triggering a pursuit down Highway 99 through Sacramento.
Because the patrol vehicle contained department-issued weapons, the situation carried added risks for officers during the chase.
California Highway Patrol officers eventually stopped the vehicle near Lodi and took the suspect into custody without any injuries to law enforcement personnel.
Police identified the suspect as 28-year-old Isaac Paval of Sacramento, CBS reported.
Authorities said Paval has a known criminal history in Sacramento and is currently on pretrial probation for a DUI offense.
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Investigators are also trying to determine whether Paval accessed a rifle inside the stolen cruiser.
Police said the weapon was secured in a safety lock, but officials have not yet confirmed whether the suspect was able to get to it.
“If we’re able to confirm that did in fact happen the suspect would be charged with multiple charges,” Sacramento Police Officer Anthony Gamble told reporters.
Following his arrest, Paval was taken to a hospital as a precaution and is expected to be booked into the Sacramento Main Jail once he is medically cleared.
Gamble said he did not know whether the department had the ability to remotely disable the stolen patrol vehicle.
Sacramento police said the department will evaluate the incident and review whether changes can be made to prevent a similar situation in the future.
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