UPDATED: Man charged with stealing patrol car, among other charges

Updated Thursday, Oct.10:
Here’s the full announcement from the Asheville Police Department

Asheville – A follow-up investigation was conducted by APD patrol and CID personnel surrounding the events of October 8th in South Asheville. A suspect was developed and identified. Benjamin Alexander Cator, 24, of 33 Lee St. Asheville was taken into custody and charged with the following offenses:

Larceny of Motor Vehicle (2)
Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Gov’t Official (3)
Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Gov’t Official Inflicting Injury (1)
Attempted Common Law Robbery
Larceny of a Firearm
Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
Speeding to Elude Arrest (F)
Hit and Run (M)
DWLR (2)
RDO (2)
2nd Degree Trespass
Seat Belt Violation

Cator is being held under a $76,000 bond at the Buncombe County Detention Facility.

Full announcement from the Asheville Police Department:

Asheville – At 9:45 pm last night, an APD patrol officer parked his patrol car at the Skyland substation and entered the building for a moment, leaving the vehicle unlocked with the key in the ignition. While the officer was inside, the vehicle was stolen by an unknown subject. A statewide bulletin was broadcast and a county-wide search began. Approximately 30-45 minutes later, the vehicle was located at the Pit Row Carwash just south of the substation, wrecked. We are not able to provide a dollar estimate of the damage to the vehicle at this time.

The subject fled the scene and then stole another vehicle, a pickup truck, and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. The driver in the stolen truck attempted to hit an APD officer, then crashed into another patrol vehicle causing minor damage. The suspect fled into the New Salem Cemetery where he abandoned the truck and fled on foot. The suspect is unknown and still at large.

Police Chief William J. Anderson stated, “A police car being stolen is a serious and dangerous situation. Today, we are asking for the community’s help in locating this suspect. We also want to assure the public that there will be a thorough internal administrative investigation. The officer is on investigative suspension at this time.”

The suspect is described as a white male, 20-25 years of age. He is approximately 5’10” and 160 pounds.

If anyone knows the identity of this suspect, please call the Asheville Police Department at 828-252-1110 or Crime Stoppers at 828-255-5050 or send a tip via text message specifically to the Asheville PD by Texting “APDTIP plus your tip” to 274637 (CRIMES).