1/27/24 Vallejo, CA – Woman Arrested For Stealing A Car In San Francisco – In Handcuffs In Back Of Patrol Car – Gets Into Front Seat And Drives Off – Abandons Patrol Car – Search

January 29, 2024

www.nbcbayarea.com

The California Highway Patrol is searching for a woman who stole a patrol car while she was being taken into custody in Vallejo Friday. 

Surveillance video shows a CHP patrol car stopping near a driveway in a quiet neighborhood.

But the person hopping out of the driver’s seat and jogging off wasn’t an officer. It’s a woman in handcuffs who had just been arrested hours earlier for a separate incident involving a stolen car.

As of 2 p.m. Saturday, the CHP was still trying to find her. 

“There was a lot of police activity, I heard helicopters in the air, and saw a highway patrol car driving down the street,” said Joseph Griffin of Vallejo. 

According to CHP, she was driving a stolen car out of San Francisco and eventually ended up in Vallejo. 

The pursuit was called off, then Vallejo police found the car, and called CHP.

She was taken into custody and was sitting in the back of the patrol car in handcuffs. She then managed to get into the driver’s seat of the patrol car, and drive off.

A neighbor shared surveillance video showing her abandoning the car off University Road, then  jogging away.

CHP did recover the car and everything is still intact, saying that despite all this, they don’t believe she’s a threat to the public.

The scene was still too close to comfort for residents who hope CHP officers catch her sooner rather than later.

“I mean we have security here to make sure, we do everything we can to keep it up, but year it’s pretty concerning,” said Jonathan Guadamuz of Vallejo.