Crime & Safety
Laguna Niguel Man Turns on Drinking Buddies in Bay Area Town, Then Hides From Cops on Roof
Stephen Ricketts was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and battery on a police officer.
By Renee Schiavone
Patch Editor
A Laguna Niguel man who tried to hide from police on the roof of a Bay Area business this weekend is now facing assault and other charges, according to Belmont Police Department.
According to Belmont Police Captain Patrick Halleran, the suspect— identified as 25-year-old Stephen Ricketts of Laguna Niguel— had been drinking with two men at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday at a business in the 500 block of Mountain View Avenue, when he allegedly attacked them.
The men told police they were acquaintances of the suspect, who fled the area after assaulting them and went up onto a roof.
Officers searched the area and called in assistance from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Air Squadron. Shortly after 11 p.m., police said officers located the suspect on the roof of an adjacent commercial building, Halleran said.
"When officers attempted to take Ricketts into custody, he became combative and had to be restrained," Halleran said. "Ricketts was removed from the roof with the assistance of an aerial ladder from the Foster City Fire Department."
Ricketts and two officers suffered minor injuries during the incident, according to the captain.
The victims, a 41-year-old San Mateo man and a 54-year-old Belmont man, were taken to the hospital with injuries that are not considered to be life-threatening.
Police said Ricketts was booked into the San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and battery on a police officer.
—Bay City News Service contributed to this report.
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