Officer was taking a theft report when this man stole his patrol car, Merced police say

Merced police are asking the public for assistance in identifying a suspect accused of stealing a patrol car.

At about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday, a Merced police officer responded to a reported theft at the Smart and Final parking lot at 1425 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, according to a Merced Police Department news release.

While the officer was speaking with the person who reported the theft, the car thief hopped into the officer’s marked cruiser and sped away, according to police.

Police said the officer was about 40 feet from the vehicle at the time of the theft. According to the release, the vehicle was located abandoned but undamaged about 20 minutes later in the 500 block of West 27th Street.

Police said no firearms were in the vehicle at the time of the theft and no property was taken from the vehicle.

Police obtained footage of the suspect from the store’s surveillance cameras. According to police, the suspect is described as an adult male who was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, red shirt, red shoes and a black hat.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect is asked to contact Sgt. Jeff Horn at 209-388-7739.

This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 6:20 PM.