Last Tuesday afternoon, the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office received word that a man allegedly discharged a firearm into the sky before he stole a car and left its owner as he left the scene.
When deputies located the vehicle and tried to perform a traffic stop, the driver reportedly did not comply and began to increase his driving speed.
The authorities reported that the vehicle exceeded 100 MPH, but they decided to stop chasing him for public safety reasons.
Just after the deputies called off their pursuit, officers from the Santa Cruz Police Department spotted the vehicle and reported that they watched the driver as he navigated off the edge of a cliff and into the ocean water below.
The man was able to get out of the vehicle and escape injury, and the police stood by and viewed as he hoisted himself back up the cliff to dry land.
The deputies were waiting for the man, 56-year-old John Kenyanjui when he reached the top of his climb and they immediately initiated contact with him.
Kenyanjui, who hails from Portland, was placed under arrest, and he is facing charges for suspicion of carjacking, evading arrest, hit-and-run, and criminal possession of a weapon. He is being held in the main jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
The Sheriff’s Office disclosed that they have a hunch Kenyanjui is connected to an incident in Los Altos involving a suspect pulling a gun on a driver and his passenger while they were stopped at a red light. The suspect was unable to drive the vehicle and allegedly proceeded to successfully steal the car behind it.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.