An alert school resource officer providing security at a high school graduation ceremony in Palo Alto helped police in the capture of a wanted felon Wednesday evening when the officer recognized the suspect in the commencement crowd.
Palo Alto police say Andre McBride, 20, of East Palo Alto, was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on three outstanding felony warrants, misdemeanor resisting arrest and a felony probation violation.
The school resource officer, who was providing security detail for the Palo Alto High School commencement ceremony, called police at about 6:35 p.m. after confirming that the suspect he spotted in the crowd had three outstanding felony warrants for his arrest.
As officers moved in to make the arrest at the conclusion of the ceremony, McBride fled on foot, according to police. Three Palo Alto officers, plus the school resource officer, gave chase.
Police said the suspect hopped fences and crossed a bicycle path and railroad tracks before hopping the fences of homes on Alma Street and Embarcadero Road. He was captured after stepping off a high curb on Embarcadero Road and injuring himself. He was taken into custody after further incident.
The suspect complained of a pain in his knees and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
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All three officers suffered minor injuries during the foot pursuit but none required medical treatment.
Police said all three warrants for McBride were issued on May 1 and detectives have been actively searching for him since then.
The first warrant, for felony robbery and resisting arrest, was issued on April 25 after McBride allegedly stole items from Nordstrom at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.
The second warrant was for grand theft, stemming from the theft of two laptops and a wallet on April 24 at a residence in the 1400 block of Tasso Street in Palo Alto.
The third warrant was for second-degree burglary as a result of an auto burglary on Sept. 18, 2013.
McBride is currently on probation in Santa Clara County for narcotics possession.Palo Alto police ask anyone with information about the incident to call their 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to aloalto@tipnow.org, and text messages or voicemails may be sent to 650-383-8984.
