Bloodied man arrested after wild spree of knifepoint carjackings, Yolo County deputies say
Deputies arrested a blood-soaked man Tuesday afternoon after a crime spree through Yolo County that allegedly included multiple vehicle thefts, two unsuccessful carjacking attempts, at least three home burglaries and threats against several people at knifepoint.
The suspect, a Lake County resident identified as Roland Engels, 37, was reportedly first seen “covered in blood” around 2:45 p.m. at a gas station in Winters, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday in a news release. The man then made a “strange statement” before driving away. The behavior prompted two witnesses at the gas station to call the authorities out of concern.
About 10 minutes later, deputies responded to a home near county roads 23 and 86A, just south of Esparto, where a resident reported that “a man had entered her home and was threatening her with a knife demanding her car keys,” the news release said.
Deputies later determined the man had been driving a vehicle stolen from a residence in the Horseshoe, a rural neighborhood just outside Winters, where a burglary had also been reported; then he burglarized three homes in the neighborhood near Esparto where the threat was reported, and stole another car from a home in that area while he was at it, authorities said.
Authorities found the vehicle stolen from Winters in a ditch near county roads 23 and 86A, according to the news release. As deputies arrived to that area, the Sheriff’s Office received reports of an attempted carjacking outside of Esparto High School.
“The suspect was not successful and did not harm the victim of this incident, a teacher at the school,” the news release said.
Just before 3:30 p.m., sheriff’s officials found the suspect near the high school, driving one of the vehicles stolen from south of Esparto. Officers gave chase, and the suspect crashed his car at the intersection near the Dollar General store on county roads 16 and 86a.
The suspect ran inside the store, but was apprehended with the use of a Taser and arrested, the sheriff’s news release said.
Investigators determined the man also tried to carjack one other vehicle in the Dollar General store, before the high school carjacking attempt, the news release said.
Engels was treated at a hospital for injuries he had suffered prior to his contact with deputies, then booked on a litany of charges including burglary, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, vehicle theft and attempted carjacking, officials said.
The Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information about the incident to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 530-668-5280 or 530-666-8282, or to leave an anonymous tip at 530-668-5248.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 10:55 AM.
