Mechanic foils man’s efforts to steal private planes at airport, California cops say

A stranger tried to steal two private airplanes at a Sonoma County airport before being chased away by a mechanic, California sheriff’s deputies reported.

A man walked up to a running airplane under repair at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport and opened the door at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

A mechanic working on the plane kicked the man away and said he needed to leave, deputies said.

The man instead ran to a private hangar and got inside another plane, deputies said. He turned on the ignition and lights before the mechanic yelled at him to get out, the sheriff’s office said.

The intruder ran into a wooded area where deputies summoned to the airport were unable to find him with a K-9, drone and helicopter, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators ask anyone with information to call 707-565-2185.

The Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport is about a 60-mile drive northwest from San Francisco.

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