Photo: Vancouver Police Department
A man accused of going on a crime spree in Vancouver, Washington was arrested after he got tangled in telephone wires. Police said the crimes unfolded Saturday (March 23) and started in the 600 block of West Evergreen Boulevard, according to a Monday (March 25) Facebook post.
Officers responded to the scene on reports of a vehicle prowl. A victim told authorities they spotted a man, later identified as Romando E. Stanley, stealing items from his vehicle. The suspect reportedly fled into a nearby yard before police arrived and took a bike from a home. A neighbor of the bike theft victim chased after Stanley, who then abandoned the bike and continued fleeing on foot, officials wrote.
Police then got a report of another incident as they were investigating the previous crimes. A man reportedly walked into a business in the 900 block of Main Street, took an employee's phone, and punched them in the chest before running away. Officers were also dispatched to 607 Washington Street after hearing about a man throwing down bricks from on top of a roof, damaging several buildings, police said.
"VPD crisis negotiators attempted to get the male to come down off the roof without success," authorities wrote in the statement. "The male then attempted to cross the street using telephone lines and held himself on the lines for approximately 45 minutes."
Fearing the suspect may fall on the street, officials parked a Vancouver Fire truck underneath Stanley for his safety. Police said he eventually lost his grip, fell onto the fire engine, and quickly hopped off the vehicle. He was apprehended around 7 p.m.
Stanley was booked into the Clark County Jail on several charges, including robbery, theft, and malicious mischief.