A California man was carrying a loaded handgun and apparently learned the hard way that running from police only works when the officer chasing you isn’t particularly fast. Unfortunately for him, the Vacaville Police Department says the officer behind him had no trouble keeping up.
Police say 20-year-old Michael Wayne Richardson Jr. took off running after an officer attempted to speak with him Thursday afternoon. His escape didn’t last long, and once he was in custody, Richardson couldn’t help but offer the officer a rather colorful compliment: “You’re fast as f***, damn!”
The encounter began when dispatchers received a call about two men arguing in the 500 block of Greenwood Drive. According to police, one of the men was said to have brandished a firearm during the confrontation.
One man then left in a silver vehicle heading toward Peabody Road. Officers worked with the department’s Real-Time Information Center to use city traffic and Flock cameras to locate the vehicle near the freeway, but police said they found no firearm on the driver or inside the vehicle.
Suspect Opts for Some “Unscheduled Cardio”
The video couldn’t be embedded into the article, so it can be found at this link. Attention then turned to the second man, who police were told had fled toward a nearby Lucky Supermarket. An officer searching the surrounding neighborhood eventually spotted someone matching the suspect’s description and ordered him to stop.
Richardson had a different plan. As the department jokingly put it, he “elected to participate in some unscheduled cardio instead” and took off running.
Police said Richardson repeatedly reached toward his waistband with his right hand during the chase despite being ordered to keep his hands visible. The pursuing officer quickly closed the distance and took Richardson into custody without anyone being injured.
That’s when Richardson apparently gave his impromptu review of the officer’s athletic ability. “You’re fast as f***, damn!” he said, according to police, prompting the department to respond online, “We appreciate the compliment.”
Officers said they recovered a loaded, unregistered .45-caliber handgun from Richardson. He was subsequently booked into the Solano County Jail on multiple felony charges involving possession of a loaded, concealed firearm as well as resisting or delaying arrest.
Comments Praise Vacaville’s “Officer Flash”
Commenters had plenty of fun with the short-lived foot chase, especially after hearing Richardson’s reaction to being caught. One joked that the cop “turned into the Bionic Man,” while another decided the department apparently has an “Officer Flash” on its roster.
Others focused more heavily on the technology that helped officers respond. “Gotta love the Flock cameras,” one person wrote, while another called the cameras “a necessity to help VPD” and pointed to the successful arrest as an example of their usefulness.
The department similarly credited the outcome to cooperation between residents, dispatchers, RTIC staff and officers. But judging from the comments, the officer’s running ability stole the show — and Richardson himself might have delivered the best review of it.