Photo: Steven McFarland
CHICO – The burglar discovered he cannot evade police. On the afternoon of May 26 the CHP responded to a burglary call. In fact, an employee of the burglarized business chased the suspect.
That is where the CHP came into play. The 1:30 pm shenanigans escalated into a full-fledged pursuit.
26-year-old Steven McFarland tried to steal thousands of dollars worth of cellphones from the AT&T store. An employee tried to stop the suspect, who then fled the store at 602 Mangrove Avenue.
McFarland ran towards the Chico Cemetery, then through it, and onto and past Chico Junior High School. His actions prompted a brief 5-minute lock down of the school.
The suspect ran onto new territory, jumping fences in an attempt to elude capture. He was unsuccessful and it ended near East Lincoln and Oleander Avenues.
The AT&T store received its stolen product back. McFarland received charges of commercial burglary, stolen property, conspiracy, resisting arrest and possession of burglary tools.
