Roseville residents are asked to be on the look-out for a man who is suspected of stealing a half dozen cars over the weekend.
Gary Lee Fowler, 43, (pictured) may be armed with a handgun, Roseville police said. If anyone sees Fowler, who police said has a history of drug use and violence toward officers, do not try to approach or detain him.
Instead, police said, call 911 immediately.
In a press release, Roseville police related this chain of events that led to their call for the public's help:
"At 8:06 p.m. Sunday, a car rental customer went to drop off keys at a car rental agency on North Sunrise Avenue., and found that the key drop box had been broken into. He stood by to safeguard the remaining keys, and called police.
Officers and rental agency employees responded. The employees checked the lot and confirmed that six of their vehicles were missing. Officers searched the area and found that a suspect had moved five of the rental vehicles to other parking lots in the area. They could not locate one of the stolen vehicles.
They contacted a 31-year-old Citrus Heights woman near one of the stolen cars, and arrested her on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of methamphetamine and other related charges.
From video surveillance and other information gathered during the investigation, detectives identified Gary Lee Fowler as the other suspect. They also located the empty holster to a handgun, which leads officers to believe Fowler has a handgun. They began conducting surveillance and other activities in order to locate and arrest him.
At 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, officers spotted the one remaining stolen vehicle being driven by a male in the area of Loretto Way and Quail Circle. They followed the vehicle, and the driver led them on a short pursuit, then dumped the vehicle on King Road, on the east side of Saugstad Park. The driver then fled on foot."
Despite a search, officers were unable to locate the driver. Police believe the driver was Fowler.
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