A young woman was arrested after she stole a car from an elderly
couple in Morgan Hill, according to police.
A young woman was arrested after she stole a car from an elderly couple in Morgan Hill, according to police.
Officers responded to a call from the owner of the vehicle, who reported the 1997 Buick Le Sabre stolen from his home on Barnell Avenue about 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Jerry Neumayer.
The car’s owner, a 78-year-old man, told police he left his keys inside the vehicle as he went into his residence momentarily to help his wife to the car. When the couple came outside, the car was gone, Neumayer said.
About 30 minutes later, officer Jeff Brandon saw a vehicle traveling west on Main Avenue, which matched the description of the stolen car, Neumayer said. He followed the car onto Crest Avenue, and called for backup as he and other officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop in front of Galvan Park.
The site of the traffic stop is within two blocks of P.A. Walsh Elementary and Britton Middle schools, and Crest Avenue was closed to all pedestrian and vehicular traffic for about 15 minutes, until the stolen car’s occupants were detained, Neumayer said.
Arrested was the driver of the vehicle, Rayel Surber, 18 of Morgan Hill, on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and an outstanding felony warrant out of Morgan Hill for an unrelated auto theft incident, Neumayer said. Surber was booked into county jail. Two 17-year-old passengers, a male and female from Morgan Hill who were in the car with Surber, were not arrested or cited. The juveniles were later released to their parents, Neumayer said.
