Walgreens store theft led San Mateo police on a chase, 19 years old man behind bars
San Mateo, California – A 19-year-old local man was arrested after an attempt to escape police capture following a theft incident in San Mateo. The young man, Wilfran Perez Gomez, allegedly stole alcohol from a Walgreens shop and then led police on a chase ending beneath an overpass on March 7, 2025.
Early afternoon, at about 1:19 p.m., the incident started when Walgreens in the 100 block of South Ellsworth Avenue reported a theft. The store employees claim that Perez Gomez grabbed several alcohol bottles and took off the scene on a bicycle. San Mateo Police Department officers, who were patrolling nearby, responded promptly to the call.
Perez Gomez disobeyed orders to stop when police arrived, keeping and kept riding toward Highway 101. There he ran into one of the chasing cops and suffered minor injuries. The suspect then abandoned his bike and fled under the third Avenue overpass.
Losing sight of PerezGomez, the police rapidly set up a cordon around the area and dispatched a drone to search the creek under the highway where he was supposed to be hiding. The drone found Perez Gomez trying to hide himself on an embankment under the flyover.
The officers quickly established a perimeter around the area and launched a drone to scout the creek beneath the highway where he was suspected to be hiding. The drone located PerezGomez on an embankment under the overpass, where he had attempted to conceal himself.
Perez Gomez was taken to the San Mateo County Jail after his arrest and faces charges including felony resisting a police officer, obstructing or resisting a police officer, and theft.
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San Mateo police underlined the great importance of public awareness and law enforcement cooperation. Their thorough description of the guy and quick reporting by the Walgreens staff definitely helped the cops to respond properly.
