During the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 22, CHP officers were in hot pursuit of suspected car thief Robert Carter, 18, of Hayward. Suddenly, he led them off I-80 and onto surface streets in Vacaville.
Carter took a wrong turn down a dead end street. He stopped the stolen vehicle just short of crashing into a garage. Jumping from the car, he ran from the scene. Police soon arrived and apprehended two juvenile passengers he left behind. Due to their ages, authorities will not release information concerning these juveniles.
At that point, the CHP called in Vacaville police to assist them in searching for the escaped driver. Within minutes, at about 3 am, a Vacaville resident called 911 to report a person had knocked at their door and asked to use the telephone. The resident’s description of the individual matched that of Carter. CHP and Vacaville police converged on the area.
Soon Carter was observed walking down Alamo Drive. Officers attempted to make contact. But Carter jumped a fence and disappeared. The next sighting was of Carter running into a senior housing complex on Demarest Drive. More police joined the chase and surrounded the complex. Carter ignored orders to stop.
Vacaville K9 Syar in action, ready to please even at 3 am. (Facebook, Vacaville PD K9 Unit)
Then a police K-9 Officer released Syar, who pursued the suspect, quickly caught up and bit his arm. Carter punched Syar in the face and freed himself from the dog’s jaws. He ran again and jumped another fence, but Syar prevented him from getting over, and he was apprehended by officers.
Paramedics were called and treated Carter for two dog bites. He was charged with driving a stolen car (10851 VC) and Felony Reckless Evading (2800.1 VC) and Assault on a Police Canine (600a PC). K-9 Officer Syar sustained only minor injuries.
Carter is now lodged in the Solano County Jail.
