Man arrested on suspicion of driving truck at Peninsula cop

SAN MATEO – A Stanislaus County man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of driving a pickup truck at an officer last fall in San Mateo, police said.

The incident happened on Nov. 19 near El Camino Real and 4th Avenue, according to the San Mateo Police Department.

California Highway Patrol officers were pursuing the suspect when he stopped and got out of a stolen GMC Sierra, police said, adding that he tried to enter different businesses in the area.

San Mateo officers confronted the suspect, who got back into the pickup truck and drove at one of them, forcing the officer to jump out of the way, according to police.

Officers pursued the suspect, who eventually drove through a fence and into San Mateo Creek, near the 700 block of 1st Avenue, police said. He was gone by the time officers reached the GMC.

Police surrounded an apartment complex during a search for the suspect but did not find him.

Following a weeks-long investigation, investigators identified the suspect as a 31-year-old Oakdale resident and obtained a warrant for his arrest, according to police.

On Tuesday, the suspect was arrested in Modesto and booked into Stanislaus County jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, evading a police officer with disregard for public safety and possessing a stolen vehicle.