SAN MATEO — A 19-year-old male Walgreens theft suspect who fled from authorities, injured an officer then hid under an overpass for over an hour and refused to move, was arrested Friday after officers used a pepper spray launcher to draw him out.
The San Mateo resident was booked into the county jail and is being charged for resisting police officers and shoplifting, according to a Saturday press release from the San Mateo Police Department.
The incident began around 1:19 p.m. on the 100 block of South Ellsworth Avenue, when a Walgreens employee called the officers about a suspect who had just stolen alcohol from the store.
Officers were already in the area and quickly found the suspect, who was riding a bicycle. As officers told the suspect to stop, he continued to ride his bike eastbound toward Highway 101. An officer then attempted to stop the 19-year-old, but he failed to stop and injured the officer, according to the release.
The suspect then got off his bicycle and ran under the 3rd Avenue overpass that crosses over Highway 101 and into a creek, where officers lost sight of him.
A drone was then used search the creek, and officers found the suspect hiding on an embankment under the overpass.
The department said officers gave several commands to the suspect, but he failed to comply. After negotiating with the suspect for over an hour, officers used a non-lethal launcher to deploy pepper spray near him. He came out of his hiding spot after and was arrested.