Carjacking Suspect Arrested After Evading Santa Cruz Police, Deputies

Santa Cruz police and Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man on charges of carjacking, evading police, and auto theft Tuesday afternoon.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a carjacking at 1:09 p.m. in the 3700 block of Gross Road in the Live Oak area of unincorporated Santa Cruz County, according to Santa Cruz County sheriff’s Sgt. Kelly Kent.

The suspect, Cody Sakoman, 29, from Capitola, had approached a 60-year-old man seated in his 2013 Toyota Tacoma, pulled him out of the car, and sped away as deputies arrived on scene, Kent said.

The Sheriff’s office dispatched an air support unit to help track down Sakoman, while a description of the hijacked vehicle was distributed to other local law enforcement agencies.

Santa Cruz police spotted the stolen vehicle in the 1100 block of East Cliff Drive and pursued the car until Sakoman abandoned it in the middle of the road a short time later, according to Kent.

Sakoman fled towards the beach on foot but was quickly arrested, Kent said. Sakoman was booked in the Santa Cruz County jail with bail set at $25,000, according to Kent.

The carjacking victim suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

--Bay City News