Man in Santa Cruz ‘sees ghosts’ gets arrested

A suspicious person acting out in the 100 block of Walnut Ave in Santa Cruz turns into a bizarre case. An officer encountered 21 year old Chase Desjardin of Scotts Valley acting out claiming to ‘see ghosts’ and under the influence of something according to police.

Desjardin challenged the officer to figure out what the substance was try to safely take him into custody. Police backup arrived and officers reportedly took precaution since normal techniques don’t work and suspects can display unusual strength.

Desjardin fought with the officers as he claimed to “see ghosts”. It took several officers to finally get Desjardin safely into custody and into the back of the police car.

In the course of the fight, a 4 year veteran officer was injured with a seriously sprained ankle.

The suspect was taken to the hospital for observation and was eventually booked into jail.

So far this year, Santa Cruz police have had 187 cases of suspects resisting arrest. In the course of these cases, 15 officers needed medical treatment and missed work because of injuries received from a suspect fighting with them. Those injuries range from concussions, sprains, tears, and breaks to stab wounds.