A man wanted on warrants made a less-than-graceful getaway attempt on Monday when he plunged into the murky Napa River in Vallejo, only to be thwarted by sticky mud and law enforcement officers. Michael Edward Estrada, 44, seemingly believed water would be his escape route from the clutches of the law, but his plan quickly sank.
According to a post from KTVU reporter Henry Lee, Estrada donned in red, tried to elude the Solano County Sheriff's deputies by jumping off Lemon St. into the river. However, thick mud sapped his momentum, leading to a reluctant surrender. "Hey you in the red…might as well keep going towards land," the officers taunted as he floundered.
In a coordinated effort to apprehend Estrada, the California Highway Patrol's Golden Gate Division Air Operations played a key role. Their helicopter, H-30, hovered above, broadcasting over the PA system to "encourage" the suspect towards the shore. According to a Facebook post from CHP, the aerial prompts were successful as Estrada eventually swam to land, where deputies were waiting to arrest him.
His aquatic misadventure wrapped up with the Solano County Sheriff's Office taking him into custody as the subsequent investigation unfolded. As he swam toward the shore, the suspect, provided with a PA system-fueled push by the helicopter crew, finally relented to arresting officers' waiting arms. Solano SO stated they will investigate the incident, and the full extent of Estrada's charges is currently unknown.
