Carjack in Ladera; two car chases, searches Carjack in Ladera; two car chases, searches (September 01, 2004)

An East Palo Alto man is in county jail after reportedly hiding in the trunk of a car driven by an East Palo Alto woman, then surprising her when she stopped in Ladera to get something out of the trunk. The man grabbed her keys and drove off with her car, police said.

Arnell Clark, 25, was arrested August 24 on charges that included car-jacking. Mr. Clark is also a suspect in two car chases and two neighborhood searches over a six-hour period, involving the Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, and several local police agencies, including Menlo Park police.

This circular tale began around 4:40 a.m. that day, when Officers Eric Dias and George Jershceid of the Menlo Park police stopped to check out an occupied car parked on Laurel Avenue. The driver drove off, striking one officer in the arm, said Sgt. Sharon Kaufman of the Menlo Park police.

A car chase ensued, coming to an end when the suspect crashed in East Palo Alto. The driver got away on foot, despite an hour-and-a-half search that included a police dog, Sgt. Kaufman said.

The car-jacking in Ladera occurred around 9:30 a.m. The victim, who was slightly injured by trying to hold on to her keys, told police she had seen evidence her car had been broken into earlier that morning, but said she had done nothing about it because she was on her way to an appointment, said Detective Sgt. Rick Yearman of the East Palo Alto police.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office put out a call to local police to be on the lookout for the stolen car, which was seen by East Palo Alto police shortly after 10 a.m., Detective Sgt. Yearman said. After another chase into East Palo Alto, the driver abandoned the car and fled on foot. Police conducted a yard-to-yard search with a police dog and found and arrested Mr. Clark.

Officer Dias later identified Mr. Clark as the driver of the car he and Officer Jershceid had chased earlier that morning.

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