Alleged charity scam leads to Santa Cruz County rooftop chase

CAPITOLA — Police arrested a 23-year-old Memphis, Tennessee, man over the weekend after he allegedly fled from the Capitola Mall and over the roof of a nearby business.

Initially, officers were called Saturday afternoon to an area outside a mall store for a report that four men were asking for donations and one had used a donor’s phone to transfer a larger-than-negotiated sum. The donor told police that one of the men “transferred WAY more money than authorized,” according to a Capitola Police Department social media post.

Of the four men, police were able to track one individual as he reportedly headed off on foot for several hundred yards, crashing through a roof and crossing multiple streets and fences. Ladarius Spears ultimately was taken into custody near the 1600 block of 41st Avenue, police said.

Spears remained held Monday in lieu of $5,000 bail at the Santa Cruz County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism with damages of $400 or more and evading arrest. The department was continuing to investigate the case and urged the public to beware of scams involving sharing their cellphones with strangers.