License plate reader helps police arrest man with $600K in warrants

( KRON ) – A San Francisco resident with more than half a million dollars in warrants was arrested after an automatic license plate reader notified police of a vehicle involved in a crime, said the Colma Police Department.

At 6:26 p.m. on Sept. 12, an automatic license plate reader alerted Colma police officers of a vehicle that was involved in a theft at the 280 Metro Center the day prior.

Police pulled the vehicle over in a parking lot in the 1200 block of El Camino Real. Colma PD said the passenger, later identified as Derek McDonald, was the person involved in the theft.

Officers noticed McDonald, 39, had a felony $500,000 warrant and a misdemeanor $100,000 warrant for his arrest from neighboring agencies.

Police said after confronting McDonald with their discovery, he ran northbound across Serramonte Boulevard and jumped into Colma Creek.

The South San Francisco Police Department, the Broadmoor Police Department and the Daly City Police Department assisted Colma PD in setting up a perimeter. SSFPD located the suspect in a cemetery in the 1100 block of El Camino Real. McDonald was detained after a foot pursuit, according to CPD.

McDonald was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail for resisting and obstructing a police officer and his felony and misdemeanor warrant.

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