01/22/17 Austin, TX – 18 Year Old At Construction Site Questioned For Checking Car Doors – Suspect Jumps Into Patrol Car To Steal It – 2nd Officer Assisted Pulling Suspect Out

January 22, 2017

nystatesman.com

Austin police are accusing an 18-year-old of trying to steal a patrol car in Central Austin on Thursday evening.

Austin Police Department AMERICAN-STATESMAN file photo/American-Statesman

Nestor Rodriguez is charged with attempted theft of auto, according to his arrest affidavit.

Police were called to a construction site near the intersection of North Interstate 35 and 15th Street around 8:45 p.m. for a disturbance involving a man and a woman checking car doors, the affidavit said.

An officer found the man, later identified as Rodriguez, and told him to leave the property. As the officer spoke to the woman, Rodriguez approached the officer’s patrol car, looked through the windshield and windows, apparently looking for the keys in the ignition, the affidavit says.

A second officer responding to the call noticed Rodriguez getting into the patrol car and was able to pull Rodriguez out as his hands were holding the steering wheel, the affidavit says. Rodriguez was arrested and taken to Travis County Jail, the document says.

Rodriguez had been issued a criminal trespass notice at the location about half an hour before the encounter, police said.

Rodriguez was in Travis County Jail with bail set at $7,500, records show.