Lafayette PD Believes Sames Suspect Eluded Officers Twice In 2 Days

Lafayette police believe the same suspect who escaped from officers on Wednesday managed to elude them again Thursday night, police said.

Officers responding around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday to a report of a suspicious vehicle at the Lafayette Community Park, located at 480 St. Marys Road, contacted a man and woman in a vehicle, sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said.

Police arrested the woman, identified as 23-year-old Antioch resident Brittany Gilbert on a warrant, but Lee said the man resisted a search by police and pushed the officer away before running into a wooded area. Officers and a helicopter crew searched the area but ultimately suspended the search around 12:30 p.m. without locating the suspect, Lee said.

Police received a report of a stolen vehicle, a white Toyota Camry, later in the day on Wednesday in the area of Driftwood Drive and St. Marys Road, where the initial search took place, Lafayette police Chief Eric Christensen said.

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• Lafayette PD Searching For Suspect; K-9, Helicopter Deployed
• Layfayette Manhunt Update: Search Suspended

Police were monitoring the area at 6:12 p.m. Thursday when an officer spotted the stolen car and attempted to move in front of the vehicle while it was stopped at a stop sign, Christensen said.

The suspect rammed the police car and drove away at a high rate of speed, according to Christensen. A short time later, around 6:30 p.m., Christensen said a witness reported the suspect had parked the car in front of the witness’s house and fled on foot.

Christensen said the department deployed a helicopter crew and a police dog to search for the suspect, who was in the area of Pleasant Hill and Reliez Station roads. The police dog lost the suspect’s scent roughly 30 minutes into the search and Christensen said the search was suspended at 7:51 p.m. with the suspect still outstanding.

Christensen said police believe the same suspect was involved in both incidents, but he said he couldn’t confirm it was the same person. No one was injured in the search, he said.

Lafayette police are looking for a 28-year-old white man, roughly 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 185 lbs., with dark brown hair. He was last seen wearing a black windbreaker and blue jeans, police said.

--Bay City News