CHP officers searching for suspect in box truck theft
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (KTVU) - California Highway Patrol officers continue searching for a suspect wanted in connection with a box truck theft in San Francisco Monday. The resulting slow-speed chase led officers near the Sunnyvale Golf Course, where the truck was recovered. Jaime Pacheco says his 26-foot-long box truck took a bit of a beating in the theft, but things could have turned out much worse.
“These people don’t think. They don’t think. they just try to run away from the police. They don’t care what can happen,” said Pacheco, as he surveyed damage to the front bumper, windshield, side mirror, and taillights.
Pacheco says his employee was making an appliance delivery in the 1400 block of Post Street in San Francisco around noon. The employee went in, and when he came out, the truck was gone.
“He said my truck is gone, somebody’s trying to scare me. Or something like that. And I said no, nobody’s going to try to scare you that way. I think somebody stole it already,” said Pacheco.
He headed north on 101 from South San Francisco toward San Francisco. Just before reaching Candlestick Point, he saw the stolen truck, driven by an unknown man, headed the opposite direction. He turned, followed, and called the CHP. Those officers joined the low-speed chase in Mountain View.
“We tried to stop the truck. Driver didn’t want to stop,” said officer Chris Barshini of the Redwood City office.
He says the thief took the Highway-237 exit, but turned the wrong-way, traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes, before crashing the truck into trees on the shoulder of the highway, parallel to the Sunnyvale Golf Course.
“[It was scary], especially for the drivers that were driving on 237, and seeing a big white, box truck just coming down towards them,” said Barshini.
Officers, with guns drawn, chased after the suspect. Cell phone video provided to Fox 2 show several seconds of officers running down the side of the highway.
“Then the highway patrolmen pulled into here, the parking lot. And then they went that way. And then we just heard all the commotion and the helicopter and stuff like that,” said golfer John Gomez.
CHP Investigators, aided by Sunnyvale and Mountain View police, established a perimeter, as their search stretched onto the 17th hole, startling some golfers…
“It was a little alarming. I haven’t seen anything like this before,” said Gomez.
The lone suspect escaped capture. But, Pacheco says he’s relieved the 40 mile truck heist ended without more serious consequences.
“I feel happy because nobody get hurt. And the truck is, the merchandise is still there,” said Pacheco as he climbed into the cab of his damaged truck.
The vehicle was driven back to Lowes in South San Francisco, where Pacheco operates a third-party delivery business. The wanted suspect is described as a Hispanic man, five-foot-eight; wearing blue jeans and a dark hoodie. If you have information, call the CHP or Sunnyvale police.