PALO ALTO – A 63-year-old East Palo Alto man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of ramming a Palo Alto police car with his SUV and evading, police said.
Officers initially encountered the SUV around 11:15 p.m. Monday in the 1700 block of Embarcadero Road, where it turned into a driveway, according to the Palo Alto Police Department. A records check revealed the vehicle’s registration was expired.
The SUV then left the area without its headlights on, police said, adding that officers attempted a traffic stop. The driver instead sped away northbound on West Bayshore Road.
Officers did not pursue the SUV, police said, but a few minutes later, an officer found it waiting outside a gated entrance to an apartment complex in the 1700 block of Woodland Avenue in East Palo Alto.
The officer parked behind the SUV and turned on his lights, at which point the driver of the SUV reversed into the officer’s car, hitting the front bumper, police said.
The SUV then drove through the closed gate and into the apartment complex before exiting through another closed gate, police said. Officers briefly pursued the SUV eastbound on University Avenue but called off the chase due to the driver’s “unsafe speed.”
Officers found the driver at his home Tuesday. Following a short foot pursuit, he was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, evading and failing to register as a sex offender, according to police.
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.
