Salinas police: Man stole taxi, drove drunk and crashed into parked car

Salinas police arrested a man they say drove a stolen taxi, struck a parked car and then fled on foot.

Around 11 a.m. Thursday, officers were dispatched to reports of a hit and run at Towt and Cooper streets involving an Orange cab. Witnesses told police the driver struck a parked car and fled, and alerted police to the suspect’s location.

Officers found Christian Amezcua standing next to the open the door of a pickup, where he was asking the driver for a ride.

Officers found Amezcua had removed the meter from the cab and had a set of shaved keys, along with the key to the cab. He also appeared to be under the influence and was wanted for violating a restraining order earlier in the week.

He was booked into the Monterey County Jail on numerous felony charges.

He’s not an Orange Cab employee and police say he stolen the taxi from a Terrace Avenue apartment, where it had been left unlocked with the keys sitting in the center console.