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RIVERDALE — A man stole a police cruiser Saturday after he was caught with another stolen vehicle, stolen property and drug paraphernalia, police said.
At about 9:40 a.m., Riverdale police responded to reports of a man and woman behaving suspiciously and possibly intoxicated. When they arrived at the scene near Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft at 4978 1050 West Street, they quickly determined the vehicle the man and his fiancée were driving was stolen and full of property allegedly stolen from other vehicles earlier in the day, according to Riverdale Lt. James Ebert.
The man was arrested and placed in the back seat of a cruiser. While officers inventoried the alleged stolen vehicle, they noticed the man had somehow slipped out of the handcuffs and was in the front seat of the patrol car, Ebert said.
The man proceeded to drive off in the car, while an officer fired a single shot in an effort to stop the vehicle. The shot hit the cruiser's roof, Ebert said.
According to Ebert, vehicle was located by a concerned citizen who called 911 after noticing a man abandon the vehicle. A perimeter was set up for several blocks around the vehicle. Police also notified local residents and asked them to call if they saw the man, Ebert said.
It was one of those residents who called 911 and allowed officers to place the man into custody a short time later.
"The theft of a law enforcement vehicle is very disconcerting because we do have tool, we have equipment, we have firearms, we have information," Ebert said. "Even though all of it is password protected and secured by locking mechanisms, it's still a big concern."
No weapons or other items were taken from the patrol car during the incident.
The man and his fiancee couild be facing a litany of charges resulting from the thefts. Webert said they expected to have more information on what those may be later Saturday.
No names have been released.
Ebert said investigations into the shot fired by an officer would be conducted by both the district attorney's office and by police internally, as per procedure.
