The Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) and UC Santa Cruz Police Department (UCSCPD) document all reported crimes in the city and on campus. All information is provided by the SCPD and UCSCPD. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

{City}

Armed robber leads police on three-county high-speed chase

Feb. 19, 9:54 p.m. — Officers responded to a report of an armed robbery in progress at the Walgreens on Soquel Avenue. An unknown white male in his 20s, described as 5’11” with a thin build and light complexion, approached a cashier, motioned that he had a gun underneath his sweatshirt, and demanded cash. When the suspect felt his demands weren’t being met fast enough, he jumped the counter, drew a knife, and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash from the register. The suspect then fled, riding a late-model orange Kawasaki motorcycle headed toward Live Oak. He was spotted by Capitola police near 30th Avenue and Brommer Street. Capitola PD and the California Highway Patrol chased the man throughout Santa Cruz county, where he reached speeds of 70 mph on surface streets. He led officers south down Highway 1 at speeds in excess of 120 mph. Officers lost sight of the suspect on Highway 156 in Monterey County; he is still at large and is wanted for armed robbery and felony charges of police evasion.

Park rangers find loaded gun, drugs in Pogonip

Feb. 21, 3:32 p.m. — Park rangers in Pogonip noticed a man on the south side of the park injecting what they believed to be heroin. When the rangers yelled at the man, he fled, along with three other people hiding in the brush. The rangers then found a loaded .357-caliber Magnum revolver, a scale, heroin, and a knife in a small encampment where the suspected drug users were illegally camping. No arrests were made.

Homeowner comes home to find man robbing house

Feb. 21, 7:13 p.m. — The owner of a house on Pennsylvania Avenue came home to find a man filling up a garbage can with items. The suspect fled, but neighbors and the homeowner were able to provide a description, which allowed officers to create a perimeter and conduct yard-to-yard searches. An officer found the suspect hiding behind a storage shed in the yard of a nearby home. The suspect, Brian Eaton, 34, of Santa Cruz, was positively identified by the victim. He was also found to be in possession of a syringe, prescription drugs without a prescription, and marijuana. Eaton was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on residential burglary and various drug charges.

High school student allegedly stabs man during lunch hour

Feb. 22, 12:23 p.m. — Officers responded to a report of a stabbing on the 300 block of Encinal Street. A 31-year-old male victim was driving along Encinal Street when he got into an argument with a 15-year-old student from nearby Empire Academy. The victim parked his car in an empty parking lot at 380 Encinal, where he got out and begin to argue and wrestle with the student. During the fight, the teenage student allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest, arm and shoulder. The suspect then took off running, but was found by police and arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The stabbing is not believed to be gang-related and the victim is expected to recover.

{Campus}

Security kiosk at west entrance set on fire

Feb. 21, 3:35 a.m. — UCSCPD and Fire Department responded to the west entrance of campus at Heller Drive and Empire Grade. An unknown suspect, described as a heavyset Latino male, was seen running from the kiosk after breaking the windows and setting a fire inside it, according to a state fire marshall investigator. No one was injured, and the fire was quickly extinguished by the kiosk’s internal sprinklers. An early estimate by UCSC puts the cost of the damage at several thousand dollars. Late-night security checkpoints at the west entrance of campus will continue as usual while the kiosk is repaired.