Owner Didn't Know Car Was Missing Until Police Arrive: Nearby News

An Annapolis woman didn’t realize a burglar had swiped the key to her car until police contacted her early Thursday about the car’s role in a police chase.

Annapolis Police say they saw the errant Mazda on West Street near Admiral Drive about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. When an officer tried to stop the vehicle because its tag lights weren’t working, the driver reportedly drove into the library parking lot at 1410 West St., then sped upon Poplar Avenue before stopping.

At that point, two men jumped out of the Mazda and ran, police say. Officers pursued the suspects, lost sight of the driver, but captured the occupant, Ricardo Luengas Silva, 20, of Annapolis, in front of the police station on Poplar Trail.

When officers contacted the vehicle owner at her home in the 600 block of Genessee Street, she said had been the victim of a burglary the previous day, but hadn’t reported the crime.

The woman said thieves entered through an unlocked window and took a Microsoft Xbox 360 game console with two controllers, a jewelry box, and a blue Samsung Galaxy S3. The resident was unaware that her vehicle key had been stolen in the burglary and the Mazda was not taken at the time of the burglary.

Luengas Silva was charged with motor vehicle theft, burglary, theft, and rogue and vagabond. He is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center on $25,000 bond.