Sheriff’s Office: Kings County man allegedly crashed stolen car, carjacked good Samaritan
Above: Jorge Lua booking photo | Kings County Sheriff’s Office
A Kings County man was arrested after crashing a stolen car and then allegedly carjacking the person who pulled over to help him, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
On the afternoon of Monday, January 17, a man identified as 36-year-old Jorge Lua reportedly sped through a stop sign, lost control of his car and rolled into a nearby field. When a passerby pulled over to help, Lua allegedly brandished an AR-15 and stole the passerby’s service truck.
Investigators soon learned that the vehicle Lua had originally been driving — a Kia Sorento — had been reported stolen out of Hanford.
After weeks of investigation, a Tulare County detective recognized Lua from surveillance footage obtained from a convenience store; detectives had found a receipt in the stolen Kia that they tracked to a store in Visalia, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Lua was ultimately located and arrested on Thursday, February 24, and booked on suspicion of carjacking, felon in possession of a firearm, auto theft, and possession of a stolen vehicle.
