WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Police on Wednesday arrested a man suspected of multiple armed robberies when he crashed a stolen pickup after a police chase, and then barricaded himself in a nearby shed for several hours.
Jordan Ramirez, 29, has been charged with robbery, assault with a firearm and vehicle theft. He is being held in Santa Cruz County Jail without bail, jail records showed.
Jordan Ramirez
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies and Watsonville police spent about three hours coaxing Ramirez out of the shed, behind a house on the 900 block of Lincoln Street.
According to Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido, Ramirez was wanted for two armed robberies in Watsonville, and a third in unincorporated Santa Cruz County.
The latest was a violent armed robbery that occurred Wednesday morning in Watsonville, Pulido said.
Watsonville Police detectives saw Ramirez sometime Wednesday afternoon, and he fled, leading police on a chase that ended when he crashed the stolen Ford F-150 into a telephone pole and an SUV on Lincoln Street, Pulido said.
Ramirez then fled, eventually hiding in the shed, she said.
The Watsonville Police Department warned residents to stay away from Lincoln, East High, Madison and California streets during the standoff.
Greg Hurley said he was standing on the corner of Lincoln and East High streets when the action unfolded.
“I heard this deep roar and here comes this white pickup down East High way too fast,” Hurley said. “When he hit Lincoln Street this big dip here sent him airborne. I was watching him try to steer the truck in the air but his front tires were off the ground.”
The driver and male passenger both leapt from the truck following the crash.
“I watched as the K-9 took the passenger down,” Hurley said. “They had that guy in the back of a patrol car real fast.”
The passenger was later released, Pulido said.
