Carjacking Suspect Caught with Help from GPS, Drones and Police Dog
Photo: Travis C. Byrd
DUBLIN — A carjacking and kidnapping suspect didn’t stand a chance last weekend. Authorities tracked him down with GPS, aerial drones and a police dog on the ground.
Dublin officers responded to a reported carjacking at a Chevron gas station located at 7007 San Ramon Road on October 27. With help from a witness, the carjacking victim foiled an attempted kidnapping.
In the first place, a suspect accosted the victim while she was fueling her car at about 6 a.m. A man ordered her to get into the backseat. She screamed, fought back and managed to escape from the car. During the commotion, another woman intervened, and the suspect fled with the victim’s car.
Police tracked a GPS signal from the victim’s cell phone, still inside the car. It led officers to an East Oakland neighborhood, near 83rd Avenue and A Street.
The suspect fled when officers arrived; jumping over fences and running through backyards, at which point Dublin PD received assisted from both Oakland PD and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
Authorities sent drones overhead to locate the suspect, who was hiding in a backyard. In addition, they dispatched a K-9 unit and cornered the suspect.
The suspect, Travis C. Byrd, 28 of Hayward, was positively identified by the victim. Byrd was also found in possession of property belonging to the victim, and he was arrested. It’s the third time this year that Byrd was arrested.
Authorities booked Byrd at Santa Rita Jail, where he remains in custody in lieu of $205,000 bond. His latest charges include carjacking, kidnapping, and burglary.
