Citrus Heights police chase leads to home invasion. Victim makes a risky leap to safety
A police chase Sunday night in Citrus Heights led authorities to what they said was a standoff with a wanted Bay Area parolee holed up inside a Fair Oaks home for several hours.
Officers said the suspect had a gun when he broke into the occupied home. An elderly woman injured herself after she jumped through an opened second-story window and fell to the ground.
The incident began about 8 p.m. Sunday, when Citrus Heights police officers were alerted to a reported stolen vehicle heading north on Sunrise Boulevard from Madison Avenue. Officers were in the area and spotted the vehicle, according to a news release from the Citrus Heights Police Department.
While waiting for backup, officers followed the vehicle into an unincorporated area of Sacramento County. Police said the officers tried to pull over the vehicle, but the driver failed to stop. A police pursuit ensued.
The chase ended shortly after, when the vehicle struck a tree. Police said the suspect got out and ran away, carrying a handgun. A Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office helicopter was overhead and confirmed the suspect was armed.
The suspect, whom police later identified as James Jarrad, tried to get into one nearby home but was unsuccessful. Police said Jarrad then jumped over a fence and forced his way into a home in the 6000 block of Long Acres Court in Fair Oaks.
As officers surrounded the house, a resident came out and told police his wife was still inside.
Officers were preparing a plan to use a fire department ladder to rescue the woman when she jumped out through the second-story window. Police said the woman had been hiding in a room and escaped moments after the suspect forced his way into the room.
The woman was taken to a safe area, but she was injured during the fall. Police said she was taken by ambulance to a hospital to receive medical treatment.
The Sheriff’s Office’s Special Enforcement Detail and its Critical Incident Negotiations Team took over the incident and handled it as a barricaded suspect. After negotiations and de-escalation techniques over the next six hours, Jarrad was arrested with help from a sheriff’s K-9 unit and the use of a less-than-lethal weapon, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
Police said investigators recovered a firearm at the scene. Citrus Heights officers took Jarrad to a hospital for treatment of injuries. Sheriff’s and police officials did not indicate how exactly Jarrad was taken into custody nor how he was hurt.
Investigators later confirmed that Jarrad, 38, of Pittsburg, was a parolee at large. Police said that after he’s treated for his injuries, Jarrad will be booked at the Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of home invasion, being a felon in possession of a gun, fleeing an officer and elder abuse.
“Whenever feasible, law-enforcement officers utilize patience, de-escalation, and technology to obtain the safest possible outcome,” Citrus Heights Police Chief Alex Turcotte said in the news release. “This was a very dangerous situation that reached a positive resolution due to care and concern of our emergency responders.”
Investigators asked any witnesses with relevant information about this incident to call the Police Department at 916-727-5500.
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 2:44 PM.
