AMARILLO, TX – On February 11th at 4:26 PM, an APD officer was dispatched to the 3400 block of I-40 West on a stolen vehicle report. The owner started the vehicle to warm it and left it unattended.
When the owner returned, the vehicle was missing. The officer was able to review the video of the vehicle being stolen and identify the suspect as 17-year-old Jacob Ray Wayne Kimball. The officer followed up at several locations and located the vehicle driving in the 4200 block of Paramount Boulevard.
The officer initiated a stop on the vehicle, but Kimball sped up and refused to stop. With the help of the DPS helicopter, officers were able to safely follow the suspect in the stolen car. The vehicle wrecked at southeast 27th and Osage Street and Kimball was taken into custody. Kimball was booked into the Randall County Jail for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Evading Arrest/Detention in a Vehicle.
Over 90% of the vehicles stolen in Amarillo are either left running or have the keys left in them. By taking your keys with you every time, you drastically lower your chances of becoming the victim of one of these crimes.