San Andreas, CA…On May 29, 2024, at about 7:00 PM, the Calaveras County dispatch center received a 911 call from the victim of an attempted carjacking. The victim stated they were at a gas station in the 400 block of East St. Charles Street, San Andreas, when a male attempted to forcefully enter their vehicle.

Upon arrival, deputies located a person matching the description walking in the middle of the roadway who was later identified as suspect Jack Donald Martin, 42 years of age from San Andreas. Deputies were able to safely get suspect Martin to the side of the road, where he was detained and placed into the rear of the patrol vehicle without incident. As they were detaining suspect Martin, deputies immediately noticed he was under the influence of an unknown narcotic, possibly a central nervous system stimulant (possibly methamphetamine).

During the interview, the female victim described the incident that prompted her to call 911 requesting immediate assistance. The victim said she was entering the gas station when suspect Martin ran up to her vehicle and attempted to open the door. As he was pulling on the door handle, he was also pounding on the roof of the vehicle. The victim said the suspect was using so much force that she believed he damaged the door handle. Luckily, the victim had previously locked the vehicle’s doors as a matter of habit. The victim was able to drive off to escape without personal injury.

Suspect Martin’s demeanor changed rapidly during the incident, from cooperating to violently kicking the security bars in the rear passenger compartment of the patrol vehicles. Suspect Martin was placed under arrest and transported to the Calaveras County Jail. His acerbic and disruptive behavior continued during the intake and booking process.

His behaviors justified deputies adding additional charges for resisting or delaying a peace officer in the performance of their duties. In total, suspect Martin was booked for felony carjacking, misdemeanor battery, under the influence of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor obstructing a peace officer.

This incident is a good reminder to maintain situational awareness in public and to make utilizing universal precautions and safety measures (e.g., always looking at car doors) a habit.