Fremont police arrest suspected UPS truck thief after overnight standoff

Police in Fremont arrested a man suspected of stealing a UPS truck early Thursday morning, following an hours-long standoff.

Shortly after 1:30 a.m., officers were called to the 5500 block of Cushing Parkway on reports of a delivery truck driving erratically. Police said the driver led them on a brief pursuit, which ended when the truck became disabled near Grimmer Boulevard and Auto Mall Parkway.

The delivery truck company confirmed to officers that the vehicle was stolen. Police received unconfirmed reports that the suspect was possibly armed.

Following the pursuit, the suspect barricaded himself inside the delivery truck. The police department's SWAT team was called to the scene and negotiators were communicating with the suspect.

At around 5:45 a.m., police said SWAT officers breached the truck's rear door and the suspect surrendered. The department said no force was used during the arrest.

The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Rafael Taniguchi Garcia of Union City. After being cleared at a local hospital, Garcia was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on felony charges of taking a vehicle without consent, reckless evading, and resisting.

Fremont police acknowledged the help from the Milpitas, Newark and Union City police departments, and said the Alameda County District Attorney's Office was reviewing the case.

Police asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the department.