San Ramon Police Recover Stolen Motorcycle, Suspect Flees

San Ramon Police gave a stolen motorcycle back to its rightful owner Monday night after the rider fled from police during a traffic stop at the Blackhawk Plaza.

Just before 11 p.m. Monday night, a San Ramon Police officer patrolling Crow Canyon Road queried the plate of a motorcycle he observed in the area. The officer attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle after he was alerted by the dispatcher that the plate belonged to a stolen motorcycle.

Initially, the rider appeared to be yielding to the officer’s lights as he pulled into the Blackhawk Plaza. However, police lost sight of the rider when he drove onto an access road that was too narrow for officers’ vehicles to travel.

Officers from the San Ramon Police Department, Danville Police Department and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies surrounded the area near the access road.

The abandoned motorcycle was found minutes later near the Conejo Drive community pool. Officers attempted to use a canine to find the suspect, but were unsuccessful.

Police found the rider’s helmet and jacket in the surrounding area. They also took fingerprints from the vehicle as part of the investigation. The suspect remains outstanding.

When the owner of the motorcycle and his wife arrived at the scene, they expressed their gratitude toward officers by giving them handshakes and high fives. They said the motorcycle was stolen from a Dublin apartment complex parking garage less than a week prior.

Investigators told the couple they were seeing an increase in motorcycle theft. The officer said that his knowledge about reports of stolen motorcycles in the area influenced his decision to query to bike’s license plate.

The owner, who is planning to start a family soon, said that officers took a serious burden off his shoulders: “we’ve had many sleepless nights thinking about this bike… we cannot thank you enough.”