Man arrested for possession of stolen vehicle minutes after allegedly stealing packages in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Quick actions by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) caught the man suspected of stealing packages from a porch and closed a stolen vehicle case, all in one arrest.

On Friday, March 31 at 10:32 a.m., SLTPD was called by a homeowner in the Springwood Drive area after they saw two packages stolen from their porch on a security camera. Within 10 minutes of the theft, the police were called. The SLTPD officer responding saw the home video and recognized the car used by the suspect taking the package as a Toyota Tundra stolen on March 23 from Marlette Circle in South Lake Tahoe.

Immediately the call went out to officers with information about the Toyota Tundra.

Two SLTPD detectives happened to be on Lake Tahoe Blvd. and saw the truck. They were in plain clothes and in an unmarked car and followed the vehicle as it turned onto Fremont Avenue. The driver of the stolen vehicle pulled into the Safeway gas station on the corner of Lake Tahoe Blvd., and Takela Dr., and he went inside. The detectives had support from El Dorado County Sheriff's Office at that time and they were all waiting for the suspect as he came out of the station.

Arrested was 26-year-old Zachary James Fitzpatrick. He was booked on charges of felony vehicle theft and misdemeanor mail theft as the packages were still in the truck. Bail was set at $10,000. He has since been released.