Man released from jail steals cop car in parking lot

TORONTO – A California man is back behind bars after stealing a cop car parked outside the jail from where he was just released.

Police allege Omar Cazares — who was taken into custody early Monday morning for public intoxication — broke into an on-duty deputy’s SUV after spotting the keys still in the ignition.

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“This gentleman saw our patrol car sitting there, saw the availability and decided he would use that as transportation,” Butte County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Al Smith told CBS News.

Cazares reportedly took deputies on an almost 50-kilometre chase before officers managed to disable the vehicle using a spike strip.

READ MORE: RCMP recover stolen cruiser, arrest suspect

“It probably sounds comical, but at the time it’s not very funny,” Smith told CBS. “Obviously it’s very serious to us.”

Cazares now faces a number of charges including felony evading police and felony possession of ammunition.