Modesto man wanted for auto theft crashes into police, civilian vehicles during pursuit
A Modesto man wanted in connection with car thefts in the Stanislaus County area struck two unoccupied police vehicles and an occupied civilian vehicle while fleeing arrest Tuesday afternoon.
Members of the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force, or StanCATT, located a stolen vehicle around 2:20 p.m. in Modesto, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
They spotted 35-year-old Shane Thomas, a Modesto resident suspected of vehicle theft, while conducting surveillance in the area. StanCATT members followed him until he stopped at a gas station at the intersection of Golden State Boulevard and Keyes Road in Keyes.
StanCATT attempted to arrest Thomas, but he fled in his car — striking two police vehicles near which deputies and officers stood, the release said.
Thomas then drove north on Highway 99 and exited at Mitchell Road in Ceres.
Deputies followed Thomas until he crashed into an occupied vehicle at Moore Road and Whitmore Avenue, the release said. He then ran from the collision and attempted to hide in a nearby apartment complex.
Law enforcement established a perimeter and used a drone to locate Thomas. A police dog helped apprehend him, injuring him in the process. Thomas continued resisting arrest as deputies took him into custody.
The two people in the vehicle Thomas hit were taken to the hospital as a precaution. Thomas was also taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries related to the collision and the K-9 attack. The deputies and officers standing near their cars were uninjured.
Thomas was on post-release community supervision, supervised by the Stanislaus County Probation Department, for domestic abuse. He was also wanted by the probation department for failing to follow the terms of his release.
Thomas was booked on new preliminary charges including three counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, a pursuit resulting in injuries, fleeing a crash scene and resisting arrest.
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 7:54 PM.
