Update: Rape suspect captured hours after standoff ends inside Pleasant Hill Nordstrom Rack
PLEASANT HILL -- A rape suspect, believing he had outwaited pursuing officers by hiding inside the ceiling of the Pleasant Hill Nordstrom Rack, was arrested by an undercover officer after he emerged from the store Wednesday afternoon.
Pleasant Hill police said 26-year-old Joseph Alan Ramos had been booked on several counts including rape, domestic violence and driving a stolen vehicle.
Pittsburg police hold the original arrest warrant for Ramos and will assume custody of the suspect.
The cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement and Ramos began with a Tuesday night high-speed pursuit by Contra Costa County Sheriff's deputies. The suspect then abandoned his stolen vehicle and ran to the Pleasant Hill Nordstrom Rack location, setting the scene for a 12-hour standoff as SWAT officers surrounded the store.
After a meticulous search of the building came up empty, the large law enforcement contingent rolled up the crime scene tape and left the building at around 8:30 a.m.
But they left behind an undercover officer just in case Ramos returned to the crime scene. Meanwhile, Nordstrom loss prevention agents elected to keep the store closed for the day.
At approximately 11:45 a.m., Ramos lowered himself from his ceiling hiding place and fled through the back door of the business.
He was quickly tackled by loss prevention agents and taken into custody by the undercover officer without further incident.
Pleasant Hill police told reporters that Ramos was recorded on surveillance video climbing into a crawl space in the store's ceiling. A methodical search was conducted utilizing drones, a K-9, a robot and SWAT team members.
After the exhaustive search of the building, Ramos was not located. Investigators believed at the time that he may have changed clothes and slipped out of the store undetected during the evacuation of customers and employees.
