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Auto theft suspect caught

Daily Planet Staff Reports
Wednesday December 27, 2000

A suspect who crashed a stolen car into a home at Cedar and California streets was locked up in the Berkeley jail Tuesday, according to police. 

At about 3 a.m. Tuesday, police received a call that suspects may be in the act of stealing a car at Shasta and Tamalpais roads. At around Cedar and Euclid Avenue, an officer thought he saw the car described as stolen and activated his lights and siren to get the suspect to stop, according to Lt. Russell Lopes. 

Instead of stopping, the vehicle fled down Cedar. The officer did not pursue, since that would have violated Berkeley municipal code which forbids pursuit of stolen vehicles, Lopes said. 

Minutes later the suspect car crashed into a home near Cedar and California. The car’s airbags deployed and the suspect was able to leave the vehicle unhurt. He was found 10 minutes later hiding in a nearby backyard, Lopes said.